Ryan Seiler of North Plainfield in Somerset County likes to play the lottery casually when he has a few bucks in his pocket, though he plays a bit more often when the jackpots climb higher.
The Powerball jackpot on Feb. 16th had grown to $260 million and Ryan decided to get a few tickets and get in the game. He had just barely gotten to the counter before the store closed down the Lottery register for that night. Whew! … He had his tickets and a chance at the big jackpot.
While at lunch with his girlfriend on Sunday, he remembered his ticket purchase and checked the results right away. The very first line on his 5-line ticket match five out of the five white balls, winning the $1,000,000 second-tier prize.
Ryan excitedly shared the news with his girlfriend, who didn’t believe him at first. He struggled to not shout out the news in the middle of the restaurant, but, quietly, he was finally able to convince her of his good fortune.
Ryan told Lottery officials the excitement of winning such a big prize was so overwhelming he had trouble falling asleep those next few nights before coming to Lottery Headquarters in Lawrenceville to file his claim. With the prize money, he plans to pay off any currents debts and invest for his future, as well as for his children’s college savings. He also plans to take a vacation somewhere warm, but hasn’t yet decided just where that will be.
Milltown Buy-Rite Liquor, 310 Ryders Lane, Milltown in Middlesex County is the retailer where Ryan made his lucky purchase – “just in the knick of time!”