Bloomfield Woman Waits 10 Months To Cash Winning Lottery Ticket: Here’s Why

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — There’s a surprisingly sensible reason why Bloomfield resident Rosalia Gonglefski waited 10 months to cash her winning Jersey Cash 5 ticket… you shouldn’t squander “found money.”

That’s the reason Gonglefski waited almost a year to tender her claim after winning $634,831 in the Nov. 18 drawing, according to NJ Lottery officials.

Although the medical billing receptionist knew that she won the prize shortly after purchasing the ticket at Marina Stationers on VanHouten Avenue in Passaic, she waited until September to contact lottery officials.

When asked why she waited so long, Gonglefski said that if the ticket was claimed prior to her having a plan in place, the windfall may have been spent frivolously.

“It’s found money,” she told lottery officials.

Gonglefski said that her goal was to buy a house in a town with good schools for her daughter that was “closer to the coast where her family lives.”

“It’s prudent for winners to have a plan in place prior to claiming lottery winnings,” NJ Lottery Executive Director Carole Hedinger said.

• See related article: N.J. Store Clerk Buys Old Workplace After Lottery Win
• See related article: Belleville Man Says $30K Cash, Winning Lottery Ticket Stolen From Home Safe

Photo: NJ Lottery

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