Massapequa Man Finds $2.9M Lottery Ticket in His Truck

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A Massapequa man was a millionaire for weeks and didn’t even know it.

Jerry Ritieni, 47, bought the winning ticket July 19 but didn’t check his ticket for weeks, according to WCBS.

Ritieni, owner of Extreme Auto Body Repairs in Massapequa, didn’t check the tickets until he discovered them in his truck on a fishing trip, according to the NY Post.

“It took a minute for me to comprehend that I just hit the jackpot. I was like, ‘No way, no way! Holy s–t!” Ritieni told the Post.

Ritieni bought the winning ticket at Cumberland Farms in Syosset and tried to tell the story to an employee, but couldn’t convince him, the report said. 

Ritieni is still deciding whether to take the full payout or annual payments, according to WCBS.

“It’s not life changing money, it’s life easier money. It would’ve been nice if it had been $300 million, but it is what it is,” Ritieni said, according to the report. “The way I’m looking at it, what it really did is it helped me secure my kids’ future.”