Rainy Day Errand Nets New Jersey Landscaper $5 Million

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — An Essex County landscaper has a rainy day to thank for his $5 million New Jersey lottery win, officials say.

“Marcos M.,” a landscaper from Orange, depends on dry weather in order to get in a day's work. But one rainy Monday morning – as the weather interfered with his grounds-keeping duties – Marcos took the opportunity to run a few errands.

On one of his stops, he popped into the Double Dee Liquor store in Orange to buy a “$5,000,000 Fortune” instant lottery ticket, which he’s bought like clockwork “almost every day since it came out.”

Here's how New Jersey lottery officials described the moment that Marcos realized he had just become a millionaire.

“After scratching the game card Marcos realized that number 16 was a winning number on his ticket. He uncovered the prize amount but wasn't certain whether he was actually seeing it correctly. He checked the ticket multiple times before putting it into his pocket and buying one more ticket just for good measure. That too was a winner. The final ticket won $50 but the third winning ticket had significantly more zeros on the end of the prize amount. Marcos’ third ticket was a $5,000,000 top prize winner.”

According to lottery officials, Marcos will be putting some of his winnings aside for his young children's education, helping his family and looking for a home of their own.

• See related article: N.J. Store Clerk Buys Old Workplace After Lottery Win
• See related article: Family Raising Grandchildren After Daughter's Death Hits It Big With Winning Lottery Ticket
• See related article: N.J. Man Who Played Lottery For Years Wins $2.5M Prize

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Photo: NJ Lottery