Did you know that quite a few of the biggest Powerball jackpots were won by players in New Jersey. Actually, since the game started in 1992, 12 players won the jackpot of the biggest lottery in the world. Meet these incredibly lucky NJ Powerball winners.
Biggest NJ Powerball Winners – Ocean’s 16
On top of our list is a pool of 16 players (nine women and seven men) that chose to buy their Powerball tickets together. They got their winning entry from Acme grocery in Little Egg Harbor, N.J. and scooped a third of a $448 Million jackpot.
These NJ Powerball winners were all employees of Ocean County’s vehicle maintenance department and good friends for quite a few years. They had been getting tickets together for about 5 years when the jackpot was big, Many of them had lost their belongings in the massive storm Sandy.
They strike luck on August 7, 2013.
The names of the biggest NJ Powerball winners are: Riccio, Ralston Chalfant Jr., Peter Cherko, Donna Cinque-Stasse, Joseph D’Angelo, June Delgado, Robert Heinen, Dorothy Kulina, Tabitha Long, Brian McCarthy, Susan Nickel, Joseph Odoardo, Lisa Presutto, Darlene Riccio, Barbara Jo Riivald, Eleine Sanchez and William Seeley
Pearlie Mae Smith – $429.6 Million
Pearlie Mae Smith, a 70-year-old woman, hit the $429 Million Powerball prize in 2016. She got her ticket at a Trenton convenience store in New Jersey.
Pearlie Mae Smith is a church pastor who hardly ever plays the lottery. She claimed she had a hunch about the numbers and followed her intuition.
This mum of 7 children called her winning a “divine intervention”. Her and her family donated $16 Million to help the poor a year later. They also set up the Smith Family Foundation with their winnings.
Pedro Quezada – $338 Million
Pedro Quezada is the next NJ Powerball winner on our list. Mr Quzada was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the States when he was 19.
He ran a small grocery store in Passaic, New Jersey, and had long workdays of 18 hours before becoming an NJ Powerball winner.
He was delighted about striking luck and declared he wanted to use his winnings to help his family. He chose the lump sum of $211 Million.
Tayeb Souami – $315.3 Million
Tayeb Souami, a 56-year-old gentleman, bought orange juice for $5 at a Hackensack ShopRite on the day of the draw, but his wife asked him to take it back because she had found some for less ($2.5) somewhere else.
As he went back to the shop he saw that the Powerball lottery was offering a nice jackpot. He decided to play Powerball with the refund money from the orange juice he was returning.
As you can see, this was a lucky twist of destiny as Mr Souami ended up becoming an NJ Powerball winner. He won $315.3 Million on May 1st, 2018.
New New Jersey Powerball Winner – June 10, 2024
On June 10, 2024 a new Powerball winner was made in NJ! The winner of the $222.6 Million Powerball Jackpot has come forward anonymously to collect the prize. The entry was purchased at the Preet Food Mart on Chews Landing Road in Lindenwold (Camden County) and the winning numbers were 03-10-33-58-59 and Powerball 09. Retailer who sold ticket alleged winner was lottery-loving bus driver. This prize is the second largest jackpot won in New Jersey this year.
More NJ Powerball Winners
Sadly, New Jerseyans did not win one of the top 10 jackpots eventhough there are a few players who won quite large Powerball prizes. However, there are many NJ Powerball winners if we look at all prize-tiers. A record jackpot can see up to 95,000 New Jerseyans Powerball winners in a single draw. It is true that not everyone of them becomes a millionaire, but it is still nice to feel a victory with a win, no matter how small it is.
NJ Powerball Winners FAQ
Powerball saw 12 top winners from New Jersey since it started in 1992.
The biggest solo NJ Powerball winner is Pearlie Mae Smith, a church pastor that won $429.6 Million back in 2016.