You are reading

Long Island City Bodega Sells Winning $1 Million Lottery Ticket

Momta Grocery, located at  50-12 Vernon Blvd.  (Google Maps) (1)

Momta Grocery, a bodega on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket Friday  (Photo: Google Maps and Wikipedia)

Jan. 16, 2023 By Michael Dorgan

A Long Island City bodega sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket Friday — proving that Friday the 13th isn’t always an unlucky day.

Momta Grocery, located at 50-12 Vernon Blvd., sold the ticket that scored second prize in Friday’s Mega Millions draw, lottery officials said. The bodega is situated adjacent to Tournasol restaurant near the Vernon Blvd. – Jackson Ave. subway station.

The ticket holder was one of four second-place winners in New York, with each winning $1 million. Each player matched five numbers to scoop the prize.

The ticket holder has yet to be identified, according to a store worker who spoke to the Queens/LIC Post early Monday.

The store worker said that the staff at the bodega was notified about the win Saturday morning and the news has generated plenty of buzz in the neighborhood.

“We are very excited,’ the worker said. “A lot more people have been calling in to do the lottery here over the last few days.”

The winning ticket is the biggest the store has ever sold and follows on from a $79,000 winning Take 5 ticket the bodega sold in 2019, the store worker said.

Meanwhile, Friday’s Mega Millions winning jackpot ticket was sold in Maine, and that prizewinner nabbed the $1.35 billion top prize, officials said. The ticket holder has the choice of a lump-sum payment of $723.5 million or an annual payout over 30 years, according to reports.

The winning numbers for the Mega Millions jackpot were 30, 43, 45, 46 and 61, plus the power ball 14.

The winning numbers for the Mega Millions game are drawn from a field of one to 70 with the draw being televised every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

Friday’s draw came two days after a supermarket in Jamaica, Queens, sold a winning Take 5 ticket to one of its customers, officials said.

Devin Food, located at 148-40 Hillside Ave., sold the winning ticket worth $37,832 for the Jan. 11 draw.

Momta Grocery, located at  50-12 Vernon Blvd.  (Google Maps)

Momta Grocery, located at 50-12 Vernon Blvd. (Photo: Google Maps)

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Elderly St. Albans man convicted of attempted murder in 2021 shooting of Briarwood deli owner: DA

A 73-year-old St. Albans man was found guilty in connection with the shooting of a Briarwood deli owner in 2021 and the subsequent discovery of a large quantity of heroin in his home, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on May 26.

Following a jury trial, James Fraley, of Farmers Boulevard, was convicted on May 25 of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Bayside resident wins ‘Jeopardy!’

Bayside resident Jesse Chin emerged as the winner on the May 25 episode of Jeopardy!. Chin ended up winning $24,801 and will return to the show next week to defend his title.

Chin works as an accounting director. He entered Final Jeopardy with $14,800, which was $2,400 more than the person in second place. While the other two contestants ended up being correct on the Final Jeopardy answer, so was Chin, who had wagered $10,001.