A Manhattan parking garage attendant won a $7 million jackpot in a lottery game he decided to play while "bored at work" one day.
The New Jersey resident drew the winning numbers on a $2 Cash4Life ticket he purchased during a lull at at parking garage downtown on Feb. 25.
"I decided to go across the street to buy a lottery ticket," said Gregory Velez of Union, New Jersey, in a press release provided by the lottery. “I asked the guy behind the counter what game I should play and he suggested CASH4LIFE because the drawing was that night."
The next day, Velez said a co-worker mentioned that the same store -- Southend News on South End Avenue in the Financial District -- had sold the winning ticket.
“I checked the numbers on my phone and then went back to the store," he said. "I went totally numb when I realized that I actually won. I walked around the block a few times to clear my head and then went back to work to let them know that I quit.”
Velez chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $4.6 million after withholdings. He says he plans to pay off bills, buy a new house and "take it easy."
He added that he has two daughters and a granddaughter he wants to take to a Disney theme park.
