Who won Mega Millions? New Jersey lottery waiting for lucky winner to come forward in Neptune
NEPTUNE, N.J. -- A New Jersey grocery store is celebrating after selling the winning Mega Millions ticket worth $1.13 billion.
The ticket was sold at a ShopRite on Route 66 in Neptune, which is in Monmouth County down the Jersey Shore.
"When we say anything can happen in New Jersey, we mean it," New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James Carey said Wednesday.
Lottery officials are still waiting for the lucky winner to come forward.
"If you live in Neptune, check your ticket," said Carey. "I don't know who the winner is. We have a gaming system that tells us that the ticket was sold at the ShopRite in Neptune, so we know where it was sold and when it was sold, but we don't know who it was sold to. I'm looking forward to meeting that winner. I'm looking forward to meeting you."
The winning numbers for Tuesday night's drawing were 7, 11, 22, 29 and 38, and the Mega Ball was 4. The $1.13 billion jackpot is the eighth largest in U.S. lottery history. It is also the largest jackpot win ever in the Garden State and the first Mega Millions win there since July 2020.
The winner has the option of taking a lump sum of more than $537 million or receiving annual installments over a 30-year period.
Lottery sales and marketing vendor Adam Perlo said all that is known about the winning ticket is, "It was not a quick pick. It was chosen numbers, and it was a one board ticket."
Store employee Tiyahna Bambaata said she thinks she made the sale between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, but didn't remember who it could have been to.
"Whoever it is, congratulations. I am happy for them," said Bambaata, the niece of the town's mayor.
Customers who frequent the Neptune grocery store said they, too, are thrilled for whoever won.
"I wish them well and I hope that it makes their life even better," Ocean Township resident Elizabeth Maita Sano said.
"I'm glad for them. Whoever it is, I'm glad for them, hope they share it," said Neptune resident LeRoy Oliver.
"I wish I had won it. I would take care of my church first. Then I would pay all my bills and then I would help my family out and keep the rest for myself," said Barbara Whittaker of Neptune.
"I think that whoever won it was meant to win it and kudos to them," one woman said.
The store received a $30,000 check for selling the winning ticket. ShopRite CEO Richard Saker said the money will go toward a local food bank that serves Monmouth and Ocean counties.
"We at ShopRite are really thrilled for the winner. We're thrilled for the state of New Jersey. We're thrilled for this community, Neptune," Saker said.
In the past, winners have come forward publicly to receive their big checks. That may not be the case this time around, because Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law several years ago that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous.
"Players in New Jersey love playing Mega Millions," Carey said. "This game has been great to our players. It has been great to our state. It has been great to our retailers."
Lottery officials said two $20,000 tickets were also sold in the state, along with eight $10,000 tickets.
In New York, there were two second-prize tickets worth $1 million each. One was sold at a Speedway on Brewerton Road in Cicero, and the other at a Citgo on Forest Avenue in Locust Valley.