Forgotten Ticket Wins $1.1m Mega Millions Prize

Jonathan Shrednick from Torrance in California read that a local ticket had won its owner a $1.1m Mega Millions prize. At that point he forgot he’d bought a ticket.

He didn’t think too much about that news from the June 6 Mega Millions draw. Then he remembered that three days before the draw he had indeed made a ticket purchase. He’d got to a different gas station to fill up his car and is certainly glad that he did.

It was the day after reading the news online that he finally checked his Mega Millions ticket. It was in his car and on checking it he made the amazing discovery that he was a millionaire.

“Holy cow,” he declared and quickly got on the phone to his wife. “She was freaking out and crying,” recalled the delighted Mega Millions winner.

Keep it safe

Keeping a winning ticket safe is always important.  It’s even more the case when it’s just made you a millionaire. Jonathan told his wife that the Mega Millions ticket was “in a safe place in my pocket.” That didn’t impress her at all and she told him: “No way, I’m coming to get it.” and the ticket found a new home in their safe deposit box.

Not his usual selection

Not only did he buy his Mega Millions ticket from a gas station he rarely visited. He also didn’t select his usual numbers. Instead he found it more convenient to buy a Quick Pick ticket and it managed to successfully match the five main numbers.

In all, he won a total of $1,442,494 but it could have been a lot more. If his Mega Millions ticket had also matched the Mega Ball 4, he’d have won the $218 million jackpot.

The top prize in the Mega Millions draw kept rolling over until August 8 when a ticket sold in Florida won $1.162 million. Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is $159 million with a cash value of $69.4 million.

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