NEED TO KNOW
- A New Jersey couple collected $1 million after they found an old lottery ticket in a junk drawer
- The pair, who are choosing to remain anonymous, recalled their shock at winning and revealed what they plan to do with the money in statements to Mega Millions
- “I thought maybe $1,000. Or $10,000. I couldn’t believe it — $1 million?!?” the lottery winner said of discovering their prize
A New Jersey couple that collected $1 million after they found an old lottery ticket in a junk drawer is recalling their shock.
The couple from Mercer County — who declined to identify themselves — won the prize in the New Jersey Mega Millions lottery after recently scanning a ticket originally bought on New Year’s Eve, according to a press release.
After they purchased the lottery ticket at the Speedymart Food Store in West Trenton, the couple said they “returned home” and “set the ticket aside.”
Months later, one of the winners stumbled upon the ticket. “I was in the house, and I just opened the drawer, and I saw the tickets. I decided to get them checked,” they said. “I scanned them. One said ‘not a winner,’ and then another ‘not a winner,’ and then I scanned a ticket that said ‘winner.’ ”
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The lottery player said they took the winning ticket home and compared it with the numbers on the New Jersey Lottery website. They saw that they had matched, but they weren’t aware of what kind of prize awaited them.
“I thought maybe $1,000. Or $10,000. I couldn’t believe it — $1 million?!?,” they said.
After the win, the Mega Millions lottery reminded players to “check those junk drawers” as they “never know” what they “might find.”
The organization playfully added that players could find “a couple of batteries for the remote, a rubber band, a pen with a missing cap or, maybe, a million dollars.”
The New Jersey lottery also pointed out that winners have one year “from the date of the drawing” to claim their prize “before the ticket expires.”
As for what the New Jersey couple plans to do with their winnings, they said they want to use some of it to provide aid to others.
“For us, it’s more about helping the children, making sure they don’t have debt,” the couple said, per the lottery release.
The Mega Millions’ latest jackpot is now estimated to be over $170 million. The next drawing is on May 27.
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