He accidentally left his lottery tickets in a convenience store shortly after he purchased them last week. But because of a stranger’s good deed, Mike, who was recently-divorced and unemployed, is now the proud winner of the $273 million jackpot.
The saga unfolded last Thursday when Mike made a stop at a Phillipsburg QuickChek and purchased the Mega Millions lottery ticket, the Associated Press reported.
Distracted by his phone, 54-year-old Mike left the tickets behind and headed on his way. It wasn’t until he had returned home that he noticed the tickets were missing.
“I looked for three hours at home and didn’t even realize going back down Thursday,” he said during a press conference, “but when I woke up Friday, I was like, ‘Welp, just another thing I lost.'”
Though Mike felt hopeless, he returned to the store on March 1 to see if someone had found his missing tickets — and to his surprise, someone did.
After the store properly verified that the tickets were his, Mike claimed them back. “I was very surprised... when they were there, I was just very happy. I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
He didn’t realize he had won the jackpot, however, until two days later when he noticed his numbers matched the winning ones, prompting him to return to the store once again.
It was certainly a close call, as lottery officials explained on Thursday that the person who found the tickets could have held onto them, signed them and claimed the jackpot for themselves.
“I’m looking for the guy that handed them in, I want to thank him,” Mike said, according to AP. “I’m going to give him something, but I’m going to keep that private.”
With his winnings, Mike plans on buying a new pickup truck, a new car for his mother and plans to remodel her home. It also comes at an exceptional time, as Mike was personally struggling without a job and with a divorce.
“It’s gonna change everything because I was unemployed,” he shared. “I recently got divorced in October and I followed her around for 15 years and she worked and I didn’t.”
“I’ve been looking for just about a year for a job that I felt was worth it,” he explained, adding that he hadn’t had a single interview in 18 months. That is until this past Wednesday when he was already a Mega Millions winner.
Now, as he continues to search for the kind stranger, Mike is riding the high from his excitement and looking back on how quickly his life has changed.
Reacting to the good news, his ex-wife Eileen Murray said;
“Think about it. How long did I work? How long did I support him? I had to give him a lot of money in the divorce... You tell me what’s the moral thing to do.”
Copy the link below and Share with your Friends:
About BlogindoorBlogindoor.com Is A Top Tech Blog That Provides Free And Cheap Browsing Cheats On Mtn, Etisalat, 9mobile, Glo And Airtel, Latest Phone And PC Updates, Tweaking Guides And Tech News.
No comments:
Post a Comment