"I knew something was coming:" Window strike foretold massive win

By Kate Northrop

UNION CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey lottery winner of a $90 million Mega Millions jackpot knew something was headed their way when a bird crashed into their window the night they unknowingly became the state's newest multi-millionaire.

A bird strike on a New Jersey lottery player's window was a sign that foretold their $90 million Mega Millions jackpot win, the winner said.

The anonymous player told New Jersey Lottery officials about the night of the Dec. 2 Mega Millions drawing, when a bird crashed into their window at 11:00 p.m.

"I was up [the night of the drawing], hoping for something," the Hudson County resident told Lottery officials. "Then — whomp — a bird hit my window. I knew something was coming for me, but I didn't know just what."

The bizarre and uncanny coincidence — not to mention the eerie timing — indeed coincided with them matching all six numbers to win the $90 million jackpot: 17, 25, 26, 53, and 60, with gold Mega Ball 16. They were numbers that they chose, with each digit carrying a special significance that commemorates various life milestones.

"I have dreamed of those numbers," the winner explained to the Lottery.

However, they recalled how those numbers did not seem to be working out lately, so while they were at Garden State News on Bergenline Avenue in Union City, they decided to put them to use in a slightly different way.

"I played some of my numbers for Pick 4 — nothing," the player recalled in a press release, explaining that they resolved to play Mega Millions on the last Sunday of November, two days before the fated drawing would take place.

"I finished work, and I came in and played the Mega and used all of my numbers," they continued.

Following the draw, locals in the general community were humming with gossip about who bought that lucky ticket at Garden State News, but it didn't seem to have reached the winner. They brought in their ticket to the store to check it at a Lottery scanner a week after the drawing.

"People were all about asking, 'Who do you think won the prize?'" the player recounted. "I just stood there, watching and sipping my coffee."

They handed the clerk their ticket to check it, and the cashier waited for the crowd inside the store to disperse before showing the lucky customer the prize notice.

"I showed the player that they won," the clerk said to Lottery staff. "They still didn't believe. Then they cried."

That same excitement that the community was abuzz with finally hit the winner, too, and it took a few days of letting it sink in to finally begin to think about how a $90 million jackpot would impact their life.

"This will allow my family to be financially free," the player remarked. "But, I want to be careful. I don't want this to change my life."

They visited Lottery headquarters in Trenton on Monday to claim the jackpot as a cash value of nearly $42 million. According to USA Mega's Jackpot Analysis, the winner will receive just about $22 million after all taxes are paid.

For selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the retailer earned a $30,000 bonus from the Lottery.

"It's great for the player, for us and the community," store owner of 14 years Krish Patel said in a statement. "Now, we're one of the lucky stores, too."

This is the tenth Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot won in New Jersey in the past eight years, according to the Lottery, and in just the 2025 fiscal year alone, New Jersey's 6,500 lottery retailers have collectively earned almost $200 million in sales commissions and bonuses.

"The retailers are the heart and soul of our business," Lottery Executive Director James Carey said during a news conference at Garden State News last week. "New Jersey really punches above its weight in terms of big winners. We hope to have even more."

The Mega Millions jackpot stands at $70 million for the next drawing on Friday, Dec. 12 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Tickets cost $5 each.

The Mega Millions winning numbers are published at USA Mega (www.usamega.com) minutes after the drawing takes place.