Update: 34-Year-Old Somerville Chemist Wins $250K from Mega Millions Ticket

Update, 2:35 p.m., April 2, 2012: The following was sent by the Massachusetts State Lottery:

Robert Yu of Somerville is one of five ticket holders in Massachusetts who came just one number shy of winning Friday night’s record $656 million Mega Millions jackpot. Yu visited the Massachusetts Lottery’s Braintree headquarters this morning to claim his $250,000 prize. He is the first Friday’s winners to come forward.

Yu received the prize in a one-time lump sum payment, receiving $175,000 after tax withholdings. The chemist plans to use the winnings to pay off his student loans and put a down payment on a house.

He played his winning Mega Millions quik pic numbers at Tedeschi #441 located at 90 Washington Street in Somerville. The store will receive a $2,500 commission on the sale.

------------------------------------------------

As you may have heard, three winning lottery tickets split a massive, record-setting $640 million Mega Millions jackpot on Friday. Those tickets had the winning numbers—2-4-23-38-46, Mega Ball 23—and were bought in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland, according to Mega Millions.

Five tickets sold in Massachusetts came just one number short of hitting the jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Mega Ball. Those tickets each won $250,000.

At least one of them was sold here in Somerville, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery.

The ticket was sold at the at 90 Washington St. in East Somerville.

The other Massachusetts winning tickets were sold in Lowell, East Bridgewater and Reading. The five tickets were sold at four locations.