Newark Man Scored $2M Lottery Prize, Now He’s Got Another Winner

NEWARK, NJ — A Newark mechanic’s retirement worries were solved when he hit a $2 million jackpot. Now, he’s scored yet another big lottery win, officials say.

On Thursday, New Jersey Lottery officials announced that “Freddie R.,” a 64-year-old Newark resident, won a $250,000 prize via a Crossword scratch-off ticket that he bought at C-Town Supermarket on 18th Avenue in Newark.

When he came to collect his winnings, Freddie told officials that he was in shock, and for good reason: he’d won a huge prize just over two years ago.

A longtime lottery player, Freddie’s previous victories had been small, such as a $656 Pick-4 prize he won in 2017. But using the profit from that win, he bought five instant tickets… one of which paid off big time.

After scratching off a $20 Platinum Diamond Spectacular ticket, the Newark resident was stunned by the amount it said he won. He turned to his brother and told him the astounding news: he’d just nabbed $200,000.

But his brother had bigger news, lottery officials said.

"No bro," his sibling told him, urging him to take another look. "It’s $2 million!"

After his 2017 win, the furniture mechanic said he was planning to retire after working a little bit longer, but also planned to keep on playing the lottery.

• See related article: New Jersey Grandfather Finds $24M Lottery Ticket In Old Shirt
• See related article: Hudson County Mother Of 2 Celebrates $4M Lottery Win
• See related article: NJ Store Clerk Buys Old Workplace After Big Lottery Win

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com