Furloughed NJ Worker Won $29.5 Million Lottery

A New Jersey-based employee for the federal government (who was furloughed) won a huge lottery jackpot, and we’re so excited for her.

The New Jersey Lottery said in a release this week that Judith Smith (a park ranger from Bayonne) won the largest Pick 6 drawing of the past decade.

Smith and her children (Kenny and Sarah) won the $29.5 million jackpot on December 17, 2018, just days before the longest shutdown in the history of the United States government.

Judith, who is a federal park ranger (and single mother), would be furloughed from work between December 22 and January 25. So she must have been stressed in the days leading up to it.

In fact, when it was announced that the winning ticket had been sold at the same liquor store where Judith bought her ticket, she sent her son to the self-check machine at the store to make sure it was the winner.

The Smith family then hid the ticket (and got a lawyer). That’s smart. In fact, they’ve spent the past month working seeking legal and financial advice from experts.

I bet this was the best news she received, with the government shutdown looming at the time, and not knowing how long she'd have to do without a paycheck (she's a single mom).

This is crazy. I love this story. There were so many people scared and out of work, struggling to pay their bills. So it was extra nice to hear about she didn’t have to worry about her bills.