MERCER COUNTY, N.J. — A forgotten lottery ticket tucked away in a junk drawer has made a Mercer County couple $1 million richer.
The lucky Mega Millions ticket was purchased on New Year’s Eve at the Speedymart Food Store in West Trenton. The couple only recently rediscovered it in May while going through items at home.
“I was in the house and just opened the drawer and saw the tickets,” the winner said. “I decided to get them checked. One said ‘not a winner,’ another said ‘not a winner,’ and then one scanned as ‘winner.’”
After scanning the tickets at the store, the player returned home to compare the numbers on the New Jersey Lottery website. That’s when they saw they had matched all five white balls—earning them a $1 million prize.
“I thought maybe $1,000 or $10,000,” the player said. “I couldn’t believe it—$1 million?!”
In New Jersey, lottery winners have up to one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.
“For us, it’s more about helping the children, making sure they don’t have debt,” the couple said when asked about their plans for the winnings.
