Bird slams window as Union City man unknowingly holds $90M Mega Millions ticket
UNION CITY, NJ – A bizarre late-night bird strike turned into an unlikely prelude to one of New Jersey’s biggest lottery wins, as a local resident quietly claimed a $90 million Mega Millions jackpot this week after purchasing the lucky ticket in Union City.
The ticket, sold at Garden State News on Bergenline Avenue, matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday: 17, 25, 26, 53, 60 and the gold Mega Ball 16. The winner, who chose to remain anonymous under New Jersey law, opted for the lump-sum cash payout of nearly $42 million.
The player, who purchased the ticket two days before the drawing, had a long history of using the same numbers based on personal milestones. The switch from a different lottery game to Mega Millions proved to be the turning point. On the Sunday before the draw, after finishing work, the ticket was bought at the newsstand nestled in the heart of Union City’s busy shopping district.
When the winning numbers were announced, the community quickly buzzed with excitement. Garden State News, a familiar local shop, was confirmed as the location where the jackpot ticket had been sold. Curious customers returned throughout the week, speculating over who the lucky winner might be.
The actual winner returned quietly to the store, blending into the crowd while sipping coffee as others guessed the identity of the new millionaire. Only when a clerk scanned the ticket and pulled the winner aside did the life-changing news become clear. The winner had been in the crowd all along, unnoticed by others.
The Garden State News store will receive a $30,000 retailer bonus from the New Jersey Lottery. Store owner Krish Patel, who has operated the business since 2014, called it a win for the entire community. The store is now officially one of the lucky locations in the state’s growing list of jackpot sellers.
Union City has seen a streak of smaller wins in recent months, with nine Lottery prizes ranging from $10,000 to $260,000 awarded throughout the city this year. Four of those tickets were sold on Bergenline Avenue, but none matched the magnitude of this jackpot. Local leaders celebrated the win as it coincided with the 55th anniversary of the New Jersey Lottery, originally championed by former Union City mayor and state senator William Musto.
This Mega Millions prize marks the 10th jackpot awarded during the tenure of New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James Carey. In fiscal year 2025, Lottery retailers earned nearly $200 million in commissions, and over $1 billion was directed to the public employee pension fund, which supports teachers, police officers, and other civil servants.
During this brief jackpot run, nearly $5 million in Mega Millions sales were generated in New Jersey, with more than $2 million allocated to pension funding.
New Jersey continues to rank among the most frequent sources of jackpot winners nationally, with recent big wins including $1.13 billion in Neptune and $123 million in Bayonne.
The Dec. 2 win is now part of a legacy of major Mega Millions milestones, and Union City joins a growing list of communities transformed by a single ticket.
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Key Points
- A Union City resident claimed a $90 million Mega Millions jackpot using personally significant numbers
- The winning ticket was purchased at Garden State News on Bergenline Avenue, which will receive a $30,000 bonus
- The New Jersey Lottery continues its strong contribution to public pensions, surpassing $1 billion this year