On July 19, Jerry Ritieni owner of Extreme Auto Body Repairs in Massapequa, purchased $20 worth of lottery tickets. He left them in his truck for several weeks, only to accidentally discover a winning ticket worth $2.9 million while looking for his keys.
Ritieni was in complete disbelief, but is extremely grateful. He has yet to decide whether to take the lump-sum payout of $1.9 million dollars or 26 annual payments, but said he will use the money to secure his sons’ future.
When asked if he would continue to play the lottery, Ritieni replied, “yes” and said that he will check his tickets as soon as the numbers are announced.
Luck came to Massapequa again on Sept. 2 when a top prize winning ticket for the TAKE 5 drawing was sold at KPPS Smoke & Card Store at 27 Hicksville Road.
The TAKE 5 ticket was worth $63,195.50, and was won by matching five out of five numbers, specifically 17-21-28-29-31.
Winners may claim their tickets at any one of the Lottery’s customer service centers statewide, including the Long Island office at 45 South Service Road, Plainview, NY 11803 or at Resorts World Casino New York City, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11420. Tickets expire one year after the game’s drawing.
