$165 million Mega Millions ticket purchased at Willowbrook deli
$165 million Mega Millions ticket purchased at Willowbrook deli
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It's not quite the Powerball jackpot, but $165 million ain't too shabby.
One lucky, and yet unidentified, individual on Staten Island bought a winning Quick Pick ticket for Friday's national Mega Millions jackpot, matching all six numbers drawn, the New York Lottery has announced.
The winner, who made the purchase at the Willowbrook Deli, located at 2520 Victory Blvd., held the numbers 11, 39, 51, 57 and 75, plus the Mega Ball 2. The cash value of the prize, which had been building since Nov. 13, is $101 million.
"We were shocked," said deli manager Sarbjit Singh, who learned the news Saturday morning. "We didn't see the winner yet, but we've been asking our regular customers to check their tickets."
The ticket's holder will become the 34th Staten Islander made a millionaire by the lottery since 2010, according an Advance analysis of lottery data.
There have been more per capita millionaire lottery winners here over the past five years than all but one other county in the state with at least 65,000 people, the analysis found.
Singh is advertising on the front door of the deli that the shop sold the winning Mega Millions ticket. And as the news broke Saturday morning, hundreds have been flocking to his store to play the Powerball.
"Today is crazy," Singh said. "Yesterday, with Powerball, was crazy."
Singh estimated that he's sold tens of thousands of tickets for the Powerball lottery, which has climbed to $800 million before the drawing on Saturday at 10:59 p.m.
"You gotta be happy for them," said Chris Orlando, of Willowbrook, who was buying coffee at the shop Saturday morning. "Hopefully the winner is from the neighborhood
