Long Island Man Wins $5 Million Lottery Prize

An recent afternoon with his mom turned into a life-changing experience for a 24-year-old Long Island man.

Eric DeBeauchamp was out having lunch with his mom when he decided to take a chance and play the $5 Million Fortune New York Lottery scratch-off ticket while waiting at the Pitstop Pantry on Montauk Highway in East Moriches.

“I chose the $5 Million Fortune ticket because it was ticket number 13 from that book of tickets," he said. "Thirteen is a lucky number so that’s the one I went with.”

DeBeauchamp scratched the ticket at the table and was surprised by what he saw.

Also See: Mega-Millionaire Lottery Winners, Where Are They Now?

“I scratched off the automatic win symbol so I knew I had won something," he said. "When I saw the $5,000,000 prize underneath, I was stunned!”

Despite his surprise, DeBeauchamp kept his cool.

“There were a lot of people in the deli so I tried to remain calm," he said. "I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”

He will receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $3,309,000 after required withholdings.

“I’ve won a couple times before, but nothing like this,” he said. “I plan to use the money to buy a new house, take a few vacations and open my own business.”

RELATED: Long Island Nursing Home Employees Win $50K Powerball Prize