Traffic Stop Leads Essex Driver to $600,000 Lottery Win

A quick stop at a South Orange 7-Eleven turned into a windfall when a driver ducked in to avoid road trouble on June 3. The split-second choice led to a $600,000 scratch-off win.

"There was a car stopped there. And I was just waiting. I honked. Rather than moving, [the driver] just sat there and I could tell he was glaring at me. I did not want the drama, so I decided to pull into the 7-Eleven that was right there," the winner told Patch.

Inside the store, they bought three tickets. Two number picks brought in $100. But the $30 Colossal Crossword Scratch-Off held the big surprise.

"I couldn't see the words at first. Then I saw three ... four. ..  and kept going. When I got to seven, I couldn't breathe," the player said to RLS Media. Ten matching words on the ticket sealed the top prize.

The win marks the first of three main prizes in the Colossal Crossword game since its April 9 start. Out of 1,848,880 tickets in play, two big wins still wait to be found.

Luck has smiled on this player before. Recent months saw wins of $5,000, $1,000, and $700 from other games.

The cash will clear debts and support the winner's children. "The $600,000 is a life-changing sum, and it came at a perfect time. I'm at the point where it's really great to be able to eliminate my debts and help my kids a little."

State programs have gained $33.7 billion from lottery funds since 1970. A 2017 rule now sends these profits to support public worker pensions for three decades.

Winners in New Jersey can stay unnamed thanks to a 2020 law that shields their identity.