May 22, 2025 Ticket Arrives Safely at NJ Lottery Ahead of Expiration Deadline

TRENTON (May 14, 2026) – A Pick-6 ticket purchased on May 22, 2025 at the Eisenhower Exxon in Roseland was just 8 days away from expiring before turning up in an old pants pocket.

When an announcement was made around late April that this ticket was unclaimed and at risk of expiring, our lucky winner saw the news and decided to talk to the employees of the store where the ticket was purchased – a frequent stop for him. While they didn’t know for sure who the winner was, they knew that only a few of their regular players opted for Pick-6 as their game of choice and told him to double-check everything.

This player went back and searched his house again, looking in every spot he might have missed earlier. Knowing that a $5.9 million prize payout could be on the line, he checked every corner before finally going through his closet and checking every pants pocket possible. After checking a few pairs of pants, he finally found a crumpled Pick-6 ticket from last May…

This lucky player confirmed the ticket was the $5.9 million winning ticket from May 22, 2025 and immediately brought it to the New Jersey Lottery office. As he arrived midday on May 14, 2026, the ticket was a mere 8 days away from expiring.

As always, New Jersey Lottery reminds players to check their tickets. While jackpot prizes going unclaimed is rare, many small tickets sit unclaimed in drawers and pockets for months or years when they could be redeemed for cash! Tickets can be scanned at any NJ Lottery retail location or with any phone camera using the NJ Lottery app. Ticket numbers can also be entered manually at NJLottery.com/TicketChecker.