Having one of the family cars stolen turned out to be the luckiest break of his life.
A Brooklyn teen who was riding with his mom and uncle to claim their stolen car from an impound lot bought a lottery ticket when they stopped for gas that will pay him $1,000 a week for the rest of his life.
"We went to go pick up the car and stopped here for some gas," 18-year-old Rob Salo, 18, said this morning at Coney Island Convenience on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, where he plunked down $2 for the scratch-off ticket on May 14.
"When I scratched it, it was just ridiculous. I didn't believe it at first. I thought it was a fake ticket," said Salo, who will graduate from James Madison High School later this month.
"I had to ask them to pull over because I couldn't drive and show them something like that. It was just a Kodak moment," said Salo, whose last day of school was today.
"You're in a dream. Honestly you don't know if it's real or not in the moment. I couldn't go to sleep at all. I didn't know if I was hungry, I didn't know if I was sleepy, I didn't know anything at that point."
As a top prize winner in the Win $1,000 A Week For Life scratch-off game, the lucky Sheepshead Bay resident will get $52,000 a year — $32,398 after taxes — every year for the rest of his life.
"You keep livin', we'll keep payin', " lottery spokeswoman Christy Calicchia said, repeating the game's slogan.
Salo — who rarely plays the lottery but beat the 1 in 7,896,000 odds with his single ticket — said he plans to splurge on a new BMW and pay for his college education.
(Click to display full-size in gallery)
Thanks to w794728 for the tip.
Great story!!!
oo yeh . . i remember seeing the ticket on the post.. was posted by his budy when it happend .. blessings to him ..
I find it odd that the lottery officials claim the prize is $1,000 a week for life yet the winner is holding up a $1,000,000 check. Willing to bet that his prize is capped at 20 years. I have read elsewhere that issues have evolved from these so called "cash for life" lotteries when in fact they have implemented a ceiling cap on the prize.
what a fabulous story!
Congrats bro. Class of 2012 we got this
I thought the reason for the 1 mils check was that it is the minimum payout,
if he were to pass away before he collects 1 mil. the balance would go to his estate, no ?
The check says "pay at least One Million Dollars".
Thanks for the clarification as I didn't notice the fine print until I enlarged the pic. Hopefully the NY lottery will honor the payments for life (winner is only 18 and has a long life ahead) and not have a cap on his winnings like a few other states.
The best age to win a "win for life" contest is when you're very very young. Provided he doesn't splurge, he can treat the money like his worktime salary and never have to work.
"he can treat the money like his worktime salary and never have to work."
Sure. As long as he dies young or lives in poverty. If he gets out of the city he can live fairly comfortably right now, but it won't be long before that $52k per year is worth a lot less than it is today. If inflation runs 2.5% per year (about the average over the last 10 years) he'll be getting the equivalent of $23.6k when he's 50.
Perhaps then, he should plan his demise by the age of forty? Oh well, the candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long.
It will be a shame to see him go so early, we barely knew the poor kid.
R.I.P. 
Great Story!!!!! Congrats to the winner...
From the article "said he plans to splurge on a new BMW and pay for his college education."
New BMW -- BAD idea. Pay for college -- GOOD idea. $32k a year is not enough to live a BMW lifestyle. He would need to work and the lottery will be a great supplement for life. I suspect it will not end well.
How many tickets did he buy. Never had luck with this game.
He has to pay almost 38% in taxes?! Seem a bit steep for only 52k per year!
Nice... he does not have to wrorry about working if he does not want too. He can live just within his means and he will be just find.. Or he can work as well and live a nice upper class life.. That is amazing .. I wish him the best..
Congratulations both on your win and on your graduation!!
He bought 5 at that time. He's not a big gambler..lol I use to tell him to go to my dads store for lottery but he never came in :(
25% Federal and the rest in state and local tax. Money doesn't go to far in his area.
R YOU DRUNK OR YOU HATING i think both you think im not going to splurg if i get 1000 a week ??? whats a "bmw' lifestyle ????
He was most likely referring to a lavish lifestyle. The winner nets $32,398 per year after taxes which comes out to about $623 per week. A well equipped 335i will set him back about 50k. Assuming he finances the entire purchase, factor in gas/insurance and he could very well be looking at $1600-1800 per month.
That kind of money doesn't go too far in NY city especially if splurging on a nice vehicle. He can most likely make ends meet if he plans on living with his parents for a very long time.
$1000 a week is chump change after taxes nowadays.
That ain't BMW money unless a BMW is all he wants out of life.
I agree, but this win + a regular job = very nice income. The tough thing about winning so young is that he won't feel the burning need to get and keep a good job. But if he can make it happen, he's going to have a lot of advantages in life.
We need more winners like this, in our 30-40-50-60+ LP membership base. I think the "Lucky for Life" game ($1000 per day for life), is ready to
give up a new winner soon. This way we can lead the BMW, Lexus, Mercedes lifestyle without scrimping. (no need to live with our parents either!).
Salo � who rarely plays the lottery but beat the 1 in 7,896,000 odds with his single ticket � said he plans to splurge on a new BMW and pay for his college education.
First the BMW thing, maybe he works and will keep working because he will certainly need to if he buys a NEW BWM. That 52k per year before taxes ain't gonna cover it but as a supplement income, not bad at all. Second, he rarely plays the lottery? 
He's 18 freaking years old, he hasn't had the chance to really regularly PLAY the lottery yet, at least legally.
That's a good thing.. you know how many keep working on a job they hate so much just to keep the check rolling in so they can pay their bills? (cough coughmememecough) ... I say 1,000 a week is a blessing even after taxes.. He does not have to stay on a job if he hates it.. he has options to stay in school and get a degree and not have to worry about how to pay his loan ...
Rob, congratulations on your exciting lottery jackpot win!
"You keep livin" then.
Yup, its not easy to get by here in NY with the ever increasing taxes. This guy will learn about that too! I agree with Todd that if he can make the most of this early 'gift' he has been given in life he could go far. And he is learning FAST how much NY taxes you!
I like to try to beat NY out of the taxes - play games that only pay $600 or less (Numbers & Win 4) and then 'press' those games up to be able to win for MORE than the $600 cap by playing multiple tickets. Hit for $800 on 4 - $200 tickets before. NO TAXES outta that win!!! But NY gets back at me cuz I also play Take 5, and sometimes Mega & Powerball I have hit for over $600 on those and had to pay taxes on it!!
Did anyone notice that the winning Powerball ticket was most likely won by a rich east coast person/s ............ oh wait, it was won in the midwest, Iowa!