Lottery player turns $2 into life-changing prize in NJ. Where was lucky ticket sold?

A New Jersey lottery player spent $2 on a ticket and won a life-changing prize, lottery officials said.

The lucky player won a Jersey Cash 5 jackpot worth $1.5 million, the New Jersey Lottery said in a Feb. 27 news release. This marks the game’s second highest prize of the year.

Lottery officials said the winning ticket was bought at a convenience store in Rahway, part of Union County, about a 20-mile drive southwest from New York City.

The winning numbers for the Feb. 26 drawing were 14, 20, 29, 30 and 45, the lottery said.

The next Cash 5 drawing is March 3, and the estimated jackpot is $519,000, according to the lottery. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 1,221,759.

This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Lottery player turns $2 into life-changing prize in NJ. Where was lucky ticket sold?."

Natalie Demaree

mcclatchy-newsroom

479-616-0125

Natalie Demaree is a service journalism reporter covering Mississippi for McClatchy Media. She holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School and a bachelor’s in journalism and political science with a specialization in African and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas.