‘Another Millionaire’ Drawing a Life-Changing Event for Parent Putting Son Through College

TRENTON (December 2, 2025) – The New York Jets may have won their game Sunday at MetLife Stadium, but the biggest winner was a New Jersey Lottery player from Passaic County.

Hector Torres won the $1 million top prize in the “Another Millionaire” second-chance promotion held for New Jersey Lottery VIP Club members. Lottery players who purchased a Jersey Cash 5 ticket with the XTRA add-on earned one eligible entry per ticket during October.

Over the period, five contestants were randomly selected each week. All 20 selected each received $500 and two suite-level tickets to the grand prize event—a chance to win $1 million during Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

During halftime, the contestants were assigned random numbers. They came down to field level and awaited the results of a drawing to determine which of the 20 would go home with the big prize.

For some reason, despite the odds, Mr. Torres said he knew the stars were aligned for him.

“I don’t know why, but right away I felt it,” Mr. Torres said. “It was surreal, being there in the stadium at halftime, all these eyes on you. When it came down to it (the winning number being drawn), I couldn’t believe it. What an amazing feeling.”

Mr. Torres, a chief utility lineman with 34 years of service, said the potential for a $1 million prize would be life altering. “My son’s in college. And that’s my hurdle right there—the financial responsibility. I was paying for (college), working a lot of overtime. I know he’s elated, because he knows how hard we’ve been working for him.”

Mr. Torres grew up in Queens, not far from Shea Stadium, the Jets’ former home before the team moved to New Jersey. He even went to their final home game there in 1983, a much different experience than this past Sunday.

“What an amazing feeling, everything was set up so well,” Mr. Torres said, adding that even if he didn’t win “it would’ve been a great experience.”

Now, with the college bills soon to be behind him, Mr. Torres says he can focus on a future that’s on strong financial footing.

More About the New Jersey Lottery

Since its inception in 1970, the Lottery has contributed nearly $34.7 billion to the State, helping to support many worthwhile programs and services. Lottery profits currently help bolster the public employee pension system under a 30-year agreement signed into law in 2017.