Staten Island Mega Millions Winner: 'I Just Couldn't Believe What I Was Seeing'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Staten Island woman who was caught up in Powerball fever ended up becoming a Mega Millions winner.
On Jan. 8, Nancy Viola told her husband to stop on his way home from work and buy some Powerball tickets as that jackpot swelled to $900 million. After buying the tickets, he had a dollar left over, which he decided to spend on a Quick Pick ticket for that night's Mega Millions drawing.
The next day, Viola, checked her numbers and realized she won the $169 million Mega Millions jackpot.
"The first thing I did was look at the Mega Ball, and the numbers matched up. Then I looked at the rest of the numbers, and they matched up too. I think I almost had a heart attack," she said. "I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, so I asked my husband to come over to look....and he was in shock too."
Viola opted for the one-time lump sum payment of nearly $65 million, after taxes.
"There are no words to describe it. I still can't believe it. It's surreal, but exciting and wonderful at the same time," Viola said. "I've thought about my plans, and I want to make some investments and just be secure for the future."
Meanwhile, Friday night's Mega Millions jackpot has grown to $415 million, the third-largest ever for the game.
