MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Someone who bought a Powerball lottery ticket last week at Gene's II Deli in Morris Township, New Jersey, could be a very rich person, but the winner of Saturday's $211.7 million jackpot has yet to come forward.
Lav Patel, a co-owner of the Speedwell Avenue deli and convenience store, said someone had called three times Monday from three different telephone numbers to verify the winning number.
"I don't know if it's the same person," said Patel, who runs Gene's with his cousin, Pinal Patel, and Rudrakant Joshi. Patel said he's hoping the winner is a regular customer.
The store will receive a $10,000 bonus from the state lottery commission for selling the winning ticket, said Dominick DeMarco, spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery.
Saturday's drawing marks the first time a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket has been purchased in New Jersey since the state started offering the game on Jan. 31. The jackpot, which has been growing since Feb. 10, has a cash value of about $101.6 million.
Steven Palmieri, the acting executive director of the New Jersey Lottery, said in a release that Powerball is quickly gaining in popularity.
"With New Jersey selling winning tickets, it is bound to become even more popular in the weeks and months to come," Palmieri said.
The largest solo jackpot win in New Jersey lottery was in 2005 by Harold and Helen Lerner in Rutherford, who won $258 million in the Mega Millions, DeMarco said.
In Gene's, where a wall of scratch-off lotto tickets complements the big-bucks lottery offerings, customers were excited that their local deli had sold a winner.
"They're like family," said Natasha Futrell, who works across the street from Gene's. "I think this is a lucky spot. It's always packed."
Kate Kelleher had tried for Saturday's jackpot with a ticket bought at the deli. "Oh my God, I did (buy a ticket)," Kelleher said. "I looked for a minute. I had one number."
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I wonder if they're related to the other Joshi who split for Katmandu with Willis Willis' jackpot.
Best wishes to the winner !
Congratulations to the winner.
Yes, congrats to whoever won!
"Only $10,000 for selling a ticket that is worth over 211 million?" Most states pay at least 0.1 percent for selling a winning ticket. I think the store should at least get 211 grand. Just doesn't seem right to me.
"GOT MY SHADES ON WAITING FOR THE SUN TO SHINE MY WAY!, EVERYTHING
EVENS UP YOU JUST WAIT...... FOR EVEN A GARBAGE CAN GETS A STEAK!!"
JAY-Z (BLUE PRINT)
Why is the cash value always less with Power Ball and more with Mega Millions?
Either way it is a sweet win.
Yes, Virginia, there is a santa claus, and by the way, some people have all the luck!
Congratulations to the winner(s)
Morris Plains is about 30 minutes from where I live - very nice area with lots of business offices
so it would be nice if this was another pool win like the Chubb Group from last year.
Either way, the State will make at least $10 million since enactment of the new tax on lottery winnings.
As for payment to the Deli, the $10,000 bonus payout sounds fair to me. The Long Beach, California lottery agent who sold the winning $133 million ticket receives one half of one percent or $655,000. What did they do to deserve that kind of payout? Nothing, really. Plus they got free publicity for their store so they'll end up with more business than they can handle.
'Lav Patel, a co-owner of the Speedwell Avenue deli and conveniencestore, said someone had called three times Monday from three differenttelephone numbers to verify the winning number.
"I don't know if it's the same person," said Patel, who runs Gene'swith his cousin, Pinal Patel, and Rudrakant Joshi. Patel said he'shoping the winner is a regular customer."'
I don't know why anyone would need to call the store they bought it at to find the winning numbers. All they need to do is a quick Google search to find the "Official New Jersey Lottery Web Site." BTW, this is the web site address for the New Jersey Lottery.
this isn't Virginia, this is nj... MORRIS PLAINS The Only One WINNER!!!! I'M from Morris Plains and play most of my Pb in MP. How's that for a topper!!! Take that, Hurricane, WV... take that, Rutherford, Cape May, Shaker Heights, wherever!!!! I can be proud of this town now! Nice that the 1st Pb WIN in nj is right HERE!!!
If it were me.. I'd wait until after Saturday before popping up. My friend's band TooManyGodz is playing about 1 block away from Gene's II. (how's that for good publicity!) If it were me I'd want to go there incognito (sorta!) and then announce the Monday after. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
We are quite familiar with Speedwell Avenue.. we were at Friendly's the other night a few blocks away.. nobody was even talking about this. The winner could have their celebration meal there and no one would notice!
By the way, see related story on here about the "Education Lottery", sometimes the "official" results are "wrong". Even when Mr. Whittaker won he thought he missed by one due to incorrect published numbers. Also someone calling the store doesn't mean they won, remember Ohio?
^
I'd wait at-least 2 weeks...if not longer before claiming or telling anyone.
And I am sorry...why would anyone celebrate at a Friendly's?
I'd claim it right away - that way I would have my money !
...... and I hope that it is one person !
I'd have no problem celebrating at Friendly's. I love ice cream!
I'd want a beer if I was out celebrating...to be honest...I wouldn't even go out...I'd stay in and away from people until I got my money...too much can happen when your out and having all the emotions of a jackpot win.
Congratulations to the winner. I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO close to winning that lottery. my guess was 5-6-21-30-36 and PB 7.
1. Why would they celebrate at Friendly's? because it's so quiet in there it would unnerve a librarian, and they have good hot dogs (Friendly Frank) and fries, and Holsten's is too far away and I dunno what the vig is to secure the 'Soprano" table over there... don't be dissing Friendly's now! 2. my friend's band TMG playing Sat. nite nearby where the ticket was sold, and we go there no matter to see him what unless it's a snowstorm, and friends always come first, but if the winner announced before then and showed up there it would be Burlington Coat Factory all over again. they might announce "drinks on me" or something, forgetaboutit!!! it's crowded enough Off The Green w/o a bunch of beggars pouring in also! it would be weird to be there and people not knowing, but that is what I would do. 3. we don't drink so our initial "celebration" would HAVE been Friendly's. Don't forget the winner doesn't see the moolah shmoolah for a while so they might not be going to the fancy shmancy places yet. 4. if it were me I wouldn't know it until Sunday anyway because this has been an exceptionally insane week even w/o all this.
This reminds me of in 2005, there was a shark sighting at a beach or something, and when a young girl was asked what to do about it, she said "go back to the beach, and forget it ever happened!" - I have been back to GENE'S II, and all you hear is "nobody claimed it yet", and anywhere more than 1 block from there, you wouldn't know about it. Even at nearby Grasshopper OTG nobody mentioned it. On the Store itself there are (get this) NO signs announcing "we have a winner 211 MILL" or anything like that, and no News media loitering by the door as there was in 2005 in Rutherford. With any luck this weekend I will check my own tickets. BTW Gene's II itself is a great place and the people there are nice, and I also like their scratch-offs.
if anyone wants to see pics of the area visit my fb page. (sound of crickets chirping??)
Sunday - played 6777 STR/BOX, and 0779 BOX, it came 6779!!!
THRUST I'm with you on this one, I would be at home with my family carefully planning things out! And THRUST I was not kidding about the Billion Dollar Jackpot.
We went to Friendly's again tonight, after going to Liquor Stop/GENE's first. I still have not had time to check all tickets, but the one I played today 4748 it came 4742. I do fine on their scratch-offs though. Still no buzz about this, not even at the Store. I remember the retired truck driver in VA, won in Janu. but waited for Apr. 1st just to be a wisenheimer. Or maybe the winner is just too busy to check all their tickets?
^
Winning all that money is a big deal...it would be nice to say I would be there the next day...but really...it does change your life and getting that sorted out is very important.
If it were somehow ME I am probably too busy until Tuesday even to check tickets much less to bring it in, and I would have to ask a day off and I would pick a nice day 70 degrees and sunny for the ride to Lawrenceville. Too bad they aren't open Saturday but today would be too cold to fully enjoy it. I would also need to be sure my USB thumb drive has the music I want. I would pull into Gene's playing the intro to Bittersweet Symphony or Sirius/Eye In The Sky, and exit with Puddle of Mudd - Rocket or Calloway - I Wanna Be Rich, or the theme song of the Winfall TV show (any other suggestions?) then it would be get on 287 South to Somerville, to 206 South (scenic route! avoid the TP bottleneck) (but then, where to eat? maybe IHOP) or Route 18 to US1, to the Lawrenceville circle, entering there with whatever song I didn't use at Gene's (the windows have to be down, thus has to be a nice warm day!) Perhaps the winner is watching how their friends treat them after they won but not knowing they won, to gauge if they will become a problem once the winner announces. There is only talk about this at the store itself and not in nearby places so whoever won, it's almost time to go for it!!! For me the fun would not be simply the money itself but all the hype surrounding it! That's why I kept trying.
If it's not me, then.. I wonder, did the winner think they had a MEGA ticket and thought since it didn't match the MEGA numbers, tossed it into recycling? Or may it be blowing around in the parking lot? (didn't see it so I assume not, and that day itself was like a hurricane here!) or just waiting for April Fools' day, or "talking to lawyers" as the clerk there suggested to a customer who had to ask. It is a good idea though to keep the story "alive" so the winner maybe forgot the bought tickets there, remind them now before they lose track! People here need to ask neighbors, friends etc. if they played there! Also, if I win (or won) I will consider offering for free whatever the algorithm was used. 1 person saw my prg. at the Mall, and liked it, other person said my prg. is a failure (because in only 2 draws they ask for # and they didn't win). Can't wait for the latter people to ask my help if/when I win/won! I can say, guess what, YOU'RE a failure!
Question: if someone won with using a program (such as the one I use) is it possible that the Lottery may invalidate their claim because they "cheated"? MY program uses ONLY information available to the general public, mostly the past drawing history, and the last 2 times around nobody cared, but what about if it were for 211 boom-booms?
Mainly because of the length/number of payments of the annuities.
Maybe it's just me but, we do not feel welcome there lately. Last few times there they seemed annoyed that I was checking tickets and not just buying a newspaper and coffee like other regular customers. I bought a few tickets and we left. That was a week ago. This weekend I didn't go back there and I normally would have. They have to understand if all their new customers become disinfatuated and abandon them but apparently they have enough coffee/newspaper people to survive. Anyway, there are too many crosswalks on Speedwell Avenue and by staying off there for now I reduce the odds of goofing and only yielding for pedestrians thus violating the new law.
If I turn out that I won I will validate the ticket at ELE7VEN in FairLawn or someplace they appreciate me.
Fast forward to March 6, 2011. the paper you got with your coffee reads: "Unclaimed ticket for $212 Million to expire in 1 week!" Note that the new tickets in nj are more delicate like old-school fax copies on glossy paper, and they deteriorate very easily. Even if you crease them some numbers get unreadable; imagine one of them caught in that big storm we had that day!