TRENTON (Nov. 15, 2024) – Stacey Fiore of Barnegat had longed hoped her big Lottery day would come.

This past Saturday, that day came—even if she didn’t believe it at first—when the weekly Powerball and Mega Millions player from Ocean County dropped in at the Quick Stop on Bay Avenue in Barnegat and pulled a quick pick for her games.

Fiore, a supervisor for the New York City’s MTA on Staten Island where her husband of 32 years, Greg Fiore, also works as a bus operator, told her colleagues that they wouldn’t see her at work if she won Saturday.

“I usually check my tickets before I go to work, but I forgot,” she said recently while collecting her prize with Greg. Stacey loving chided her husband, saying with a smile that she doesn’t let him check the numbers because “I don’t trust him.”

But when verification truly mattered, she trusted Greg more than herself.

“I checked the numbers on Monday on the (Lottery’s phone app),” Stacey said. “It said ‘Congratulations. You won a million dollars.’” She didn’t believe what she was seeing, so “I checked again and it said again that I won.”

Still not believing her own eyes she called Greg at home to verify. He confirmed the five winning numbers: 11, 24, 50, 56, and 66. The only thing that didn’t match was the Powerball number of 16. (Their’s was 12). No other ticket matched five numbers, so heading into this Saturday’s drawing, the Power Ball Jackpot is at around $130 million.

“I told him he better not be messing with me,” Stacey joked. “And did we buy real tickets?”

They were real, and Stacey became the 39th New Jersey Lottery draw game player this year—the 10th among Powerball participants—to win at least $1 million.

“I was just in shock. You wait your whole life for this, and you are still in shock,” she said.

In New Jersey, lottery players have the legal right to remain anonymous. However, Stacey doesn’t care who knows.

“I like telling people,” Stacey said. “I went to the bank and asked to speak to the manager. I said ‘You know somebody won $1 million here in town? Well, that’s me!’ She was super excited. It’s nice to celebrate.”

Stacey and Greg have spent most of their lives together. It’s only right they get to enjoy their prize together. The family doesn’t have any major plans, perhaps a nice vacation.

“Our kids…they are happy for us,” Greg said. “But they do know Christmas is coming.”

Despite joking that she wouldn’t return to her job after winning a lottery prize, Stacey was indeed back on the job, an hour’s commute from home.

“Maybe no more overtime for me,” Greg said.

“Oh, there’s still going to be overtime for you!” Stacey shot back.