The Most Insane Stroke of Luck Made This Man a Multimillionaire
On Thursday, Feb 28, 2019, Mike Weirsky walked into a QuickChek in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, near the Pennsylvania border. He bought $10 worth of Mega Ball tickets. He put the tickets down to put his cash away, glanced at his phone, and walked out without them. He went home to Alpha, New Jersey, and searched for three hours. He did not realize until the next morning that he had likely left them at the store. By then, the tickets could have been gone.
The Stranger Who Could Have Taken $273 Million
When Weirsky returned to QuickChek on Friday, March 1, store employees told him someone had found the tickets and handed them in. The store kept them in a drawer after verifying his description of what he bought. Lottery officials later confirmed that if the person who found the unsigned tickets had kept them and signed them, they could have legally claimed the jackpot. Ownership of a lottery ticket often comes down to possession and signature. The stranger could have walked away with $273 million, but instead, they chose honesty. Weirsky said he wants to find the person and reward them privately.
The Moment It Became Real
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The Mega Millions drawing took place on Friday night. The winning numbers were 29, 33, 39, 60, 66, and the Mega Ball was 21. On Sunday night, during a snowstorm, Weirsky checked the tickets at home and matched the numbers. He sat and watched TV for about 30 minutes, stunned. He then went back to the store to confirm what he was seeing. The jackpot was $273 million.
He chose the lump sum payout of $162.5 million. QuickChek received a $30,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
A Year of Silence, Then Everything Changed
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The money came at a strange moment in his life. Weirsky had recently divorced in October 2018 after years as a stay-at-home husband. He said he had been applying for jobs for about a year without a single interview. He typically spent about $20 per week on lottery tickets, mostly quick picks, though he had paused when money got tight. He resumed playing just weeks before the win.
Then something odd happened. After over a year of silence, he received his first job interview call on the Wednesday after the drawing. By that point, employment had lost urgency. He declined the interview, saying he preferred to pass on the opportunity to someone else.
What $162.5 Million Looks Like
Weirsky did not discuss complex investment strategies. He said the first purchase would be a new pickup truck. He planned to buy his mother a new car and remodel her home. He also mentioned taking his family on vacation.
He admitted he is not much of a businessman and would lean on a lawyer and advisors before making major decisions. After years of scraping by, he wanted something simple. The ability to wake up and decide to go somewhere or buy something without hesitation.