Jimmie Smith, a retired security guard from East Orange, became $24 million richer after discovering a winning lottery ticket in the pocket of an old shirt hanging in his closet back in 2017. Smith found the ticket right after hearing it being announced on television.
According to an NJ report, the retired grandfather had unknowingly stashed the lucky ticket, along with many others, in his favorite shirt. Smith, an avid lottery player since the 1960s, never rushed to check his tickets, yet there was an unexpected turnaround when he looked into his favorite jacket.
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“I ended up with a stack—a pile of tickets, including the one they were talking about on the news,” Smith, a father of two and grandfather of 12, told lottery officials. “I stood there for a minute thinking, ‘Do I see what I think I see?’ I had to stick my head out the window and breathe in some fresh air. I was in serious doubt. I really had to convince myself this was real.”
Smith said he had been buying lottery tickets in New York and New Jersey for decades but always told himself he would check them when he had time. He finally decided to search for his tickets after the Lottery Commission urged players to check for the winning numbers.
“We urge New York Lottery players: Check your pockets. Check your glove box. Look under the couch cushions. If you have this winning ticket, we look forward to meeting you,” said Gweneth Dean, director of the Commission’s Division of the Lottery.
Smith opted for the annuity option, meaning he received his $24 million prize in payments over 26 years instead of taking a reduced lump sum.
The winning numbers were 5-12-13-22-25 and 35. Smith purchased the ticket at a grocery and tobacco shop at 158 Church Street in Tribeca, Lower Manhattan.
The Lotto game, similar to New Jersey’s Pick 6, requires players to match all six numbers to win the jackpot, though smaller prizes are awarded for matching three, four, or five numbers.
Now in the later years of his life, Smith has a substantial prize to hold onto, even though he least expected it.
