A teenager is trapped behind the wheel of a speeding SUV with a mind of its own. It’s blowing through intersections at high speed, police in hot pursuit, Mom’s on with 911… and one lone trooper has got a crazy idea. And -- when NASA loses contact with a spacecraft over 12 billion miles away, scientist Suzanne Dodd has to throw a Hail Mary.

When the system crashes, when the first responders can’t respond, when you’re left all alone... what do you do? For the next four weeks, we’re sharing stories of people trying to think their way out of situations where no help is coming. And all of them are just gonna have to figure it out because this July on Snap Judgment... it's "All Systems Down."

Runaway Car

A teenager is trapped behind the wheel of a speeding SUV with a mind of its own. It’s blowing through intersections at high speed, police in hot pursuit, Mom’s on with 911… and one lone trooper has got a crazy idea. 

A huge thank you to Sam Dutcher and his mother, Catherine Johnson Dutcher, along with Minnesota State Trooper Zach Gruver for sharing their story with Snap! Very special thanks to Lieutenant Mike Lee of the Minnesota State Patrol as well. 

Produced by Bo Walsh, edited by Anna Sussman, original score by Renzo Gorrio.

Voyager

When NASA loses contact with a spacecraft over 12 billion miles away, scientist Suzanne Dodd has to throw a Hail Mary.

Thank you Suzy Dodd, for sharing your story with us! Learn more about the Voyager mission. 

Produced by John Fecile, edited by Nancy Lopez, original score by Doug Stuart.

Season 17 - Episode 32

One man takes it upon himself to reintroduce the beaver to Belgium. When his proposal to the Ministry of Conservation is rejected he takes matters into his own hands. And -- the "Home Alone" Curse is all too real. 

The Belgian Beaver Bandit 

Sacré bleu! The damn beavers are on the loose! Belgium authorities are hot on the tail of Oliver Rubbers. A renegade with a wild mission… bring the beaver back.

Thank you, Olivier Rubbers, for sharing your story with us! Olivier now lives with his wife and kids in Belgium and is still engaging in nature advocacy work.

Produced by David Exumé, original score by Renzo Gorrio, special thanks to Isobel Cockerell, artwork by Teo Ducot.

The Home Alone Curse

The “Home Alone” Curse is all too real. The big-budget movie is in peril, and only one actor can save it. Not Macaulay Culkin. Not Joe Pesci. It’s the goofball cop, Larry Hankin, with one iconic glazed donut.

This story contains strong language, sensitive listeners please be advised.

Thank you, Larry Hankin, for sharing your story! From Escape to Alcatraz to Friends to Seinfeld and Breaking Bad, Larry has left an indelible mark on your TV screens over the last five decades. Yes, Llarry has a book, entitled, That Guy: A Cautionary Memoir.

Special thanks to Sam Shaw for sharing Larry’s story with us. Sam is working on a documentary on Larry’s improvisational theater company, The Committee. A special shoutout to The Crow Comedy Club in Santa Monica for hosting Larry during one of their unforgettable storytelling nights.

Engineering by Pat Mesiti-Miller & Miles Lassi. 

Season 17 – Episode 31

From our friends at Love and Radio, the groundbreaking new series Blood Memory. In this first episode, two women meet the same man in prison and walk away with decidedly different impressions of him.

“Sometimes, if you want something great, you have to make a lot of sacrifices.”

You can listen to the rest of the series over at the Love and Radio podcast! Stay tuned after this episode for an interview with Love and Radio creator Nick van der Kolk and Snap Producer John Fecile.

This episode featured the voices of Ariel, Heather Brown and Michael Thompson. The series producer is Meera Kumar. Robin Amer is the Managing Editor with additional reporting by Brian Krans and Anya Schultz. Fact checking by Nicole Pasulka. Bill Rohlfing provided the voice of the radio announcer.

This episode featured music from:
The Lighthouse Trembles – Natalia Beylis – Mermaids
Mind Shifts – Michel Banabila – The Unreal Realm
Acqua – Las Olas – Las Olas
Not In Our Name – Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila – Nuits Sans Nuit
Vertigo – Zoroxxe – Zoroxxe
Mermaids – Natalia Beylis – Mermaids
Après La Pluie – Memory Scale – And All Things Begin to Drift
Revoluciones (mirco) – Zoroxxe – Zoroxxe
Good Grief – Sereptie – Sulpher’s End
Intemperie – Glitch Bird – Intemperie
A Listening Voice – Russ Young – Cloak
La Inmanencia del Ser – Interspecifics – Reducción
Tigre de Papel (feat. King Klavé) – Quixosis – Zen & Caro
Chanclas de Mercurio – Quixosis – Zen & Caro
Sentimental, Sedimentary – Dialect – Under~Between
Vertigo – Zoroxxe – Zoroxxe
Lágrimas de Sangre II – Ezmeralda -Patrimonio Inmaterial de la Nada
The Process from Birth – Michel Banabil – The Unreal Realm
Paisaje Oblícuo – Zoroxxe – Zoroxxe
We’ll Find Out – Timber Timbre – Timber Timbre

The story of a self proclaimed “drunk drag queen,” and the music that saved them. Plus, we go on an adventure underwater to visit a secret kingdom for seahorses.

STORIES

Movement

From the podcast, Movement, we spotlight the story of a self proclaimed” drunk drag queen,” and the music that saved them.

Produced by Meklit Hadero and Ian Coss. The Movement show was co-created by Julie Caine.

You can find all of San Cha’s music and projects at churchofsancha.com.

If you want to find more stories at the crossroads of music and migration, search for “Movement with Meklit Hadero,” wherever you listen!

Movement is supported by The Mellon Foundation and National Geographic Society, and distributed by PRX.

Under Pressure

After traumatic experiences underwater, a diver falls in love with the ocean again by building a secret kingdom for seahorses.

BIG thanks to Roger Hanson. Roger’s writing a children’s book, called “A Seahorse of a Different Color,” about a unique seahorse who was born different. It comes out in June.

Roger has previously been covered by the LA Times and Spectrum Channel 1, which called him the “world’s foremost expert on the Pacific Seahorse.”

Seahorse Update: In September, pregnant Deep Blue stopped showing up. Roger thinks he was eaten by an octopus. He’s moved any remaining octopuses in the area and resettled them elsewhere.

Produced by Liz Mak, original score by Leon Moriomoto, artwork by Teo Ducot. 

Season 17 - Episode 29

Little Sammy has three loves. Bumble bees, the Bible and boys. Raised by preachers, he’s kept one of these secret, but Deliverance Day is on the way.

A very big thank you to Dr. Sammy Ramsey and Pastor Roosevelt Ramsey for sharing their story! You can learn more about Sammy and his work with bees here.

Big love and thanks to Lulu Miller as well. 

Sammy and Lulu work together to make a kids podcast for Radiolab, it’s called Terrestrials and they just dropped an episode all about dads in the animal world... How they’re different than what you’ve been taught. It’s called “The DADventure.” It’s a very fun romp, beautifully sound designed and full of great stories. Go listen to Terrestrials on any podcast platform! 

Produced by Lulu Miller and Nancy López, original score by Nicholas Marks. 

Season 17 - Episode 28

We’re sharing an episode of What It’s Like to Be… from New York Times bestselling business book author Dan Heath. On the podcast, Dan explores the world of work, one profession at a time, and interviews people who love what they do. He finds out: How does a stand-up comedian come up with new material? Does a cattle rancher ever get attached to certain calves? What are the clues that suggest fraud to a forensic accountant? If you’ve ever met someone whose work you were curious about, and you had 100 nosy questions but were too polite to ask… this is the show for you. In this preview, Dan talks with a brain surgeon about the most harrowing part of a brain surgery, why he operates on people’s brains while they’re awake, and his remarkable path to the operating room. You can find more episodes of “What It’s Like to Be…” at https://link.mgln.ai/snapdanheath 

Two women set sail on a tiny boat embarking on a journey to freedom that takes them across the globe. And a Hungarian composer dreams of changing the world… he did. 

This episode contains strong language, violence, and mentions suicide. Sensitive listeners please be advised.

From Russia With Love

Two women, a tiny boat, the wide-open ocean… and kismet.

Elena has written a book about their adventure, called Talking to the Moon. You can read the story on the couple’s website.

Produced by Liz Mak, original score by Leon Morimoto, artwork by Teo Ducot.

Gloomy Sunday

Hungarian composer Rezső Seress dreamed of changing the world with his music. He did.

Produced and scored by Davey Kim.

Season 17 Episode 27

A Coast Guardsman scans the dark, starry horizon with a pair of night vision goggles. He’s looking for hazards in the water and other ships. But nothing can prepare him for what he’s about to see. And -- in Hilo, Hawaii, hula sisters are about to take the stage at the 1986 Merrie Monarch Festival. They’ve been practicing for months. But the gods have other plans. 

This supernatural story comes to us from our evil-twin, Spooked! You can listen to Spooked on any podcast platform, episodes drop weekly. 

Coast Guard Haunts

It’s midnight in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and Jordan is standing watch on board a Coast Guard cutter ship, scanning the dark, starry horizon with a pair of night vision goggles. He’s looking for hazards in the water and other ships. But nothing can prepare him for what he’s about to see.

Jordan, thank you, for sharing your story with us!

Produced by Zoë Ferrigno, original score by Lauryn Newson.

Merrie Monarch

It’s a spring night in Hilo, Hawaii. Lei-Ann and her hula sisters are about to take the stage at the 1986 Merrie Monarch Festival. They’ve been practicing for months. But the gods have other plans.

Thank you, Lei-Ann, for sharing your story. The 2026 Merrie Monarch Festival was in April.

Produced by Zoë Ferrigno, original score by Clay Xavier, scouted by Ixchel Lopez, artwork by Teo Ducot.

Season 17 - Episode 26

Elmer Gantry gets an offer to join a notoriously unstable rock n’ roll band on a tour of the US. What could possibly go wrong? And the infamous Pine Tar Game of baseball superstar George Brett… told by the bat boy.

STORIES

The Real Fleetwood Mac

Elmer Gantry gets an offer to join a notoriously unstable rock n’ roll band on a tour of the US. What could possibly go wrong?

Thanks, Elmer, for sharing your story with us! Learn more about Elmer Gantry’s music in this blog post that producer John Fecile wrote for Aquarium Drunkard.

Kirby Gregory still performs with the band Curved Air.

Read an extensive history of Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera from the magazine Ugly Things.

Listen to a 10-song Spotify playlist that we put together of Elmer’s songs and other tunes from the story.

Special thanks to Mike Stax, Anja Stax, and David Prest.

Original score by Dirk Schwarzhoff, produced by John Fecile, artwork by Teo Ducot.

The Bat Boy And The Pine Tar Bat

Every baseball fan has heard of the superstar hitter George Brett and his infamous Pine Tar Game…but have you heard of the bat boy’s version?

For more info, check out Daniel Barbarisi’s story in the Wall Street Journal.

Sound design by Renzo Gorrio, produced by Davey Kim.

Season 17 – Episode 25

You don't always need words to speak up.

Silence Speaks

In a time when words were dangerous, Grigory found a way to speak up using silence. Mimes. Robots. Mermaids. You’ll only hear a story like this on Snap Judgment.

Thank you Grigory for sharing your story! Check out Grigory’s work on his Youtube...watch Man and the Sea, The Acrobats, Jungle, and Black Square, recorded by Grigory before he left the Soviet Union.

Produced by John Fecile, original score by Renzo Gorrio.

Marcel on the Train

During WWII, a young Marcel Marceau helped rescue children from the Nazis. How he did so became the basis of his art.

Thanks Marshall for speaking with us! You can find more info about Marshall Paillet’s work here. 

Produced by John Fecile, original score by Renzo Gorrio.

The Kiss - LIVE at Story Fest

In high school, Nimisha Ladva was used to keeping her head down and her test scores up. But she surprises everyone by getting a lead in the school play -- well, that role it comes with a chance to do something she'd never done before: kiss a boy. 

A huge thank you to Nimisha Ladva. She's a playwright and college essay coach. You can find her at theessayadvantage.com and on instagram @nimishaladva 

Nimisha Ladva performed this story live at Story Fest. If you haven't heard of Story Fest, it's a national show that finds amazing local writers, journalists, and performing artists to perform their work LIVE on stage. Read about the work they do, see what cities they are coming to, and get tickets at storyfest.org. 

Season 17 - Episode 24