Gary Fuentes of Carteret and her husband frequently play Lottery games, usually just one Jersey Cash 5 ticket and another ticket for the other game being drawn each night.
Officials say on April 6th, they purchased a Jersey Cash 5 ticket and a Mega Millions ticket, leaving the tickets in their Jeep to check later. That weekend, Gary’s husband took the Jeep to get detailed, almost forgetting the tickets in the car. Right before leaving the car, her husband remembered and made the last-minute decision to grab the tickets for safe-keeping, just in case either ticket was a big winner.
The following Monday, Gary and her husband went to their local retailer and started scanning their tickets from the last week. When they scanned that Friday's Jersey Cash 5 ticket, the scanner displayed a message telling them to see the clerk. After double-checking the scanner, they brought the ticket to the clerk, who happily told them the good news – they had just won $87,373! Elated, Gary and her husband couldn’t wait to bring it to Lottery Headquarters for validation.
According to officials, Gary and her husband mentioned that this prize would help them make the down payment on a house; they will hold onto the rest for their savings. Gary’s ticket was a Quick Pick ticket, and the winning numbers for the Friday, April 6 drawing were 01, 05, 28, 42, and 43. Their lucky ticket was purchased at Cooke Avenue Food Mart on 24 Cooke Ave., Carteret, in Middlesex County.