New Jersey $221m jackpot winner steps forth to claim the prize

New Jersey continues to be a magnet for big lottery jackpot wins. After we recently reported that the $1.13bn jackpot won in March has still not been claimed, the Garden State has another reason to cheer a local winner, as one person had stepped forth to claim the most recent Powerball jackpot worth $221m.

Another huge lottery jackpot drops in New Jersey

The person, though, has approached the lottery under a condition to remain anonymous, something that the New Jersey Lottery has agreed to do, as it’s one of the options offered to any winners.

The lucky player won the life-altering amount on Monday this week, taking only a few days to collect their thoughts and muster up the courage to walk up to the lottery’s headquarters, as if worrying that it would all prove to have been some sort of mistake.

New Jersey Lottery officials said that the person had decided to claim the lump sum, reducing his total payout to $104.7m, which is pretty standard for most lottery winners, although it significantly reduces the size of the reward. About $71 million of the original amount is paid in tax.

Some of the amount lost is automatically paid in local and federal taxes. Commenting on the latest win, the lottery issued the following update:

"When they came to the Lottery for their claim meeting they were still trying to wrap their head around the win. They heard the jackpot discussed on the radio, but some of the reported facts did not match. However, something told them to check their ticket and they got the surprise of a lifetime."

Lottery culture leads to frequent winners in the Garden State

Not much additional information was released about the winner. The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at Preet Food Mart in Lindenwold in Camden County.

The owner of the shop suggested that the winner was a school bus driver, but these initial statements actually confused the winner who confirmed for the lottery that some of the reports they heard on the news did not match.

"They heard the jackpot discussed on the radio, but some of the reported facts did not match," the lottery added.

In the meantime, the New Jersey Lottery has urged the person who won the $1.13bn jackpot, the fifth-largest in the history of Mega Millions, and the largest in the history of the Garden State, to step forward and claim their reward. They have until March 26, 2025, to do so.

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