A Fort Drum soldier has won a $5 million jackpot in the New York Lottery, according to 7News WWNYTV.
Jesse Vonderhorst, 36, bought a $25 scratch off ticket at a Sunoco gas station. "The first time I played the wild ticket I won $50 and thought that was cool," he told the television station. "This is unreal!"
"I like to play the higher-priced tickets," he said. "I had played enough of the $30 tickets. The $25 ticket had recently had a local winner so I chose the Wild Bonanza Multiplier. I hadn't played it in a while so I took a chance."
"I was in shock when I saw the $5,000,000 prize. I went straight home and showed my wife. She asked me where I got the fake ticket," he said. Vanderhorst will receive a lump-sum payment of $3,309,000, according to the station. money that he plans to use to help his three daughters and plan a family vacation.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
