A New Jersey man came within days of losing a life-changing fortune after forgetting a winning lottery ticket worth $5.9 million inside an old pair of pants hanging in his closet. The ticket sat untouched for nearly a year before the stunned winner finally discovered it just eight days before it was set to expire.
According to a report of the People, which quoted New Jersey Lottery, the winning Pick-6 ticket was purchased on May 22, 2025, at an Exxon gas station located on Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland, Essex County. Like many regular lottery players, the man frequently stopped at the station to buy tickets, but this particular slip somehow disappeared among his belongings and was forgotten.
For months, the massive jackpot remained unclaimed, becoming a topic of discussion among lottery players across the state. Then, after hearing a news report about the mystery $5.9 million prize that nobody had stepped forward to claim, the man suddenly began to wonder if the winning ticket could belong to him.
He reportedly returned to the same gas station where he had purchased the ticket and spoke with employees there. Workers told him only a small number of regular customers played the Pick-6 game consistently and encouraged him to search through all of his old tickets carefully.
That conversation triggered an all-out search at home.
The man reportedly checked drawers, shelves, boxes, and stacks of papers before eventually moving on to old clothes stored in his closet. Then came the unbelievable moment that changed everything. Hidden inside the pocket of an old pair of pants was the crumpled lottery ticket worth nearly $6 million.
After realizing he was holding the winning numbers, the man wasted no time. He immediately confirmed the ticket’s validity and traveled to New Jersey Lottery headquarters on May 14 to officially claim his prize. Lottery officials later confirmed the ticket was authentic and that the winner had claimed it with only eight days remaining before the deadline.
Lottery officials say it is rare for jackpot prizes of that size to go unclaimed for so long, although thousands of smaller prizes are forgotten every year. The shocking discovery has now become a reminder to lottery players everywhere: always double-check your pockets, drawers, and old clothes — because a fortune could be hiding where you least expect it.
