$448 million, County workers win

$448 million, County workers win, A group of Ocean County employees are the lucky holders of a lottery ticket that will give them a slice of $448 million.

Sixteen county employees involved in a lottery pool purchased one of three winning Powerball jackpot tickets at the Acme supermarket in Little Egg Harbor, Freeholder Director John P. Kelly said.

“We are thrilled. We consider county government a family,” said Kelly, who did not reveal the identities of the winners. “It’s good to see these hard-working, blue-collar employees win this money that’s really going to be a life-changer for them.”

The winners all work at at the Ocean County Vehicle Maintenance Department in Toms River.Earlier Thursday, at the Route 9 Acme, several people were anxiously checking their tickets for the would-be winner.

I hope the winner was somebody affected by (superstorm) Sandy, so they can rebuild their home,” said Madlyn Fantry, 64, an Acme shopper from Tuckerton. “This is great publicity for the town and it will give people a chance to recognize who we are.”

The Acme will receive a $30,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket, according to New Jersey Lottery authorities.

Store Director Phil Weber said he planned to donate $10,000 in gift cards to a charity in the area, which was hit hard by Sandy.

“I’m just happy someone’s life is changing for the positive,” he said. “If you drive through the middle of town, you really don’t recognize it and you don’t see damage, but the town is surrounded by bay and there is a lot of devastation throughout that, so this will be a great thing for the community.”

A second winning Powerball ticket was sold at a Super Stop & Shop in South Brunswick, and a third was purchased in Anoka County, Minn., said Judith Drucker, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Lottery.

This is the first time in 20 years that two winning jackpot tickets were sold in the same state, according to the New Jersey Lottery.

Paul White, 45, of Minnesota stepped forward Thursday with one of the winning jackpot tickets, but the New Jersey winners had not yet claimed their prizes, Drucker said Thursday afternoon.White said at a news conference that he learned Thursday morning that he had a winning ticket after his significant other told him one winner was in Minnesota.

White, a project engineer for a contractor, said he had imagined winning “so many times in my head.”

He said his bounty would help pay for college for his two teenage children. He also plans to buy two cars, including a 1963 Chevrolet Impala, his father’s first car.

“I’m going to find that car,” White said.

The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night were: 05, 25, 30, 58, 59 and Powerball 32. During the telecast Wednesday night, Powerball officials announced the jackpot that previously in the day was pegged at $425 million had grown to an estimated $448 million. Its cash value is $258 million. Split three-ways, each ticket is worth more than $86 million before taxes, according to lottery officials. After taxes, each of the two New Jersey tickets is worth nearly $62 million.

The Little Egg Harbor Acme also sold a $10,000 Powerball ticket, lottery officials said.

After finding out the winning ticket was sold at Acme, many local residents regret not buying a ticket in the Little Egg Harbor store.

Nicolas Piscitelli, 67, of Little Egg Harbor bought his ticket at BJ’s but considered buying a ticket at the Acme.

“I bought one ticket from here the week before and I was going to stop here yesterday (Wednesday) to pick up my medication, but I missed out,” he said.

The two winning New Jersey tickets mark the sixth large jackpot win for state residents this year.Shore residents comprise some of those winners. In May, Giuseppe “Joe” Garofalo of Tinton Falls split a Mega Millions jackpot worth $190 million with a Virginia winner. Last year, a Tinton Falls couple, Celeste and Joseph Tamburello, purchased a Powerball ticket worth $70 million.

“It has been an unprecedented year for New Jersey Lottery players,” state lottery Executive Director Carole Hedinger said Thursday in a prepared statement. “Our players have claimed four top jackpot prizes since January. Now a double jackpot win for the state is simply magical.”

Big decisions
Despite the initial elation, lottery winners should be careful not to make important decisions too quickly, said Jordan Celkupa, a certified financial planner with Robert J. Oberst, Sr. & Associates of Red Bank.

“You almost have to treat it like a death. It’s a really traumatic thing,” said Celkupa. “The person’s life has just ended. It’s a completely new life (beginning).”

Despite the good that will come from it, winning the lottery is a life-changing event, decisions must be made carefully and objectively, he said.

Celkupa advises lottery winners to be careful who they tell about the win, at least until the initial shock has passed. Lottery winners who announce themselves risk getting approached by others looking for money, he said.

“They’re gonna have to find a way to at least conceal themselves for a period of time until they’ve actually reached that point where they’re able to think objectively,” Celkupa said.

Kelly, the freeholder director, declined to say where the county employees who purchased the ticket work, in order to protect their privacy. But news of their luck was a welcome change in an area so devastated by superstorm Sandy, he said.

“To have the fortunes change a little bit with good news in the county was great to see,” Kelly said.