ROSELAND BOROUGH, N.J. (Essex County) — A winning New Jersey Lottery Pick-6 ticket worth $5.9 million was claimed just days before it was set to expire after the ticket holder found it in an old pair of pants, lottery officials said Thursday.
The ticket, purchased May 22, 2025, at the Eisenhower Exxon in Roseland, was brought to New Jersey Lottery headquarters on May 14 — only eight days before the prize deadline.
Lottery officials said the winner realized the ticket might belong to him after seeing media reports in late April about the unclaimed jackpot.
According to the New Jersey Lottery, the player regularly visited the Roseland gas station and spoke with employees there about the missing ticket. Store workers reportedly told him only a small number of regular customers typically played Pick-6 and encouraged him to search again.
The player returned home and searched throughout the house before eventually checking clothing pockets in his closet.
Lottery officials said the winning ticket was discovered crumpled inside a pair of pants from the previous year.
After confirming it matched the $5.9 million jackpot-winning numbers from the May 22, 2025, drawing, the player immediately delivered the ticket to lottery offices in Trenton.
The New Jersey Lottery reminded residents to routinely check old tickets, noting that while large jackpot prizes rarely go unclaimed, many smaller prizes remain unredeemed for months or years.
Officials said tickets can be scanned at lottery retailers or through the New Jersey Lottery mobile app.
