David Johnson from Brooklyn, New York, has come forward as the winner of the $298 million Powerball jackpot of December 27th, 2018. The 56-year-old truck driver quit his job as soon as he found out about his win and he is now ready to take on his much-awaited early retirement.
Quick Pick Luck for Mr. Johnson
Before the big Christmas draw, Mr. Johnson stopped to gas up his truck and he also bought tickets for his lotto-favorite trio – the Powerball, the Mega Millions, and the New York Lotto. All three tickets were Quick Pick and as soon as he got them, he put them out of his mind.
The day after the Powerball draw, he did not check his numbers, not even when a colleague told him that the winning ticket for the big jackpot was sold at that very gas station. “I turned to myself I said, ‘Aw, that’s not me, man. That’s not my luck.'”
It took him another day to scan his ticket, but, much to his surprise, his luck had finally come around. He was the sole winner of the $298 million pot. “I jumped up and down in the store, man,” Mr. Johnson remembers. Then, he just got into his car, turned up the music, and went straight home.
The Powerball Jackpot Aftermath
The first people he told about the Powerball fortune were his wife and daughter. Mrs. Johnson thought he was kidding, and their daughter started crying. Mr. Johnson did not go to work that day, not any day after that. He decided then and there that it was time to retire.
He went to claim his Powerball jackpot on January 2nd, which left him with a few days during which the Powerball ticket had to be kept extremely safe. The best hiding spot he could think of was a raggedy old jacket that nobody would steal and it worked out perfectly.
On January 26th, David Johnson attended the press conference for his big jackpot win and he received the traditional giant cheque for the $298 million. He chose the lump sum payout for the prize, which amounted to $180 million. After taxes, this left him with approximately $114 million.
At the age of 56, the Brooklyn truck driver has decided to go straight into retirement. With $114 million in his bank account, Mr. Johnson said “I’m rich. I don’t gotta go to work no more.” The first things on his wish list are a “nice house” and a red Porsche. The Powerball winner also said that he will use the money to take care of his family.