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The Jersey Cash 5 player hit the $1,883,824 jackpot on Friday, Dec. 6, the New Jersey Lottery said in a news release. The winning ticket was purchased at the Silverton Super Buy Rite on Hooper Avenue in Toms River.
The anonymous winner matched all five numbers—7, 21, 28, 31, and 38. The XTRA number was 2 and the Bullseye number was 31.
The winner, who plays occasionally but hadn’t checked their tickets in weeks, learned about their big win through an online news story while checking their inbox during a call.
"[The story] also showed a picture of the liquor store," the winner said. "It was the store I bought my ticket at! I said to myself 'No way!; I then looked at the article to see when the winner was. I was “OK... No way!'"
Unable to wait until the call ended, the winner went to their car and retrieved a stash of unverified tickets from the visor.
"I look at the numbers after my call," the winner said. "I looked at my first $10 worth of tickets. Not a winner. I put that one away. I see the other ticket and... Oh, my God. Those were the numbers."
Still in disbelief, the player cross-referenced the results online to confirm.
"I pretty much started crying," they said. Then, I drove to the store. They had a sign that said 'Big winner sold here.'"
The winner said the jackpot came toward the end of a "really rough" year and even though the ticket was a quick pick, four of the numbers did have personal meaning.
"It’s life-changing," the player said. "I am going to buy myself a house. I am using it as an investment for my retirement. I am still in shock."
The Super Buy Rite will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
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