Listen to this articleA Hudson County store sold the winning ticket for the Mega Millions Dec. 2 drawing, with one lucky player hitting the $90 million jackpot.
The winning ticket matched 17, 25, 26, 53, 60 and the gold Mega Ball 16. Garden State News at 4024 Bergenline Ave. in Union City made the sale, generating a ton of buzz and excitement in the community.
The cash value of the prize is nearly $41.99 million.
Krish Patel learned early Wednesday morning about the winning ticket being sold at his store, which will receive a $30,000 bonus for selling it.
“I just found out this morning at 6:30 that we had a winner,” said Patel, who has owned the store since 2014. “It’s great for the player, for us and the community. Now, we’re one of the lucky stores, too.”
The win continues a remarkable run for Union City – which has seen nine lottery players this year win prizes ranging from $10,000 to $260,000. And even more remarkably, four won at shops along Bergenline Avenue, the main community artery.
Big winner
But none compare to the size of the Tuesday jackpot, which has energized the community.
“I’m so happy for Union City and Bergenline,” said Maryuri Martinetti, a council member, who attended a news conference that took place Dec. 3.
The jackpot marked the shortest run since August 2023 – coming less than a month after a Georgia player won the $980 million top prize. In five drawings since that prize, New Jersey had multiple non-jackpot winning tickets, including two $10,000 prizes that tripled to $30,000 with the free multiplier. It also registered nearly $5 million in sales for the New Jersey Lottery. More than $2 million of that is contributed to the state’s public employee pension fund.
New Jersey Lottery Director James Carey has now seen 10 Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners here in Jersey during his nearly eight-year tenure. He praised retailers for their role in the game’s success – and New Jersey’s continued wins.
“The retailers are the heart and soul of our business,” said Carey. “New Jersey really punches above its weight in terms of big winners. We hope to have even more.”
