A New Jersey man came dangerously close to losing a $5.9 million lottery prize after leaving the winning ticket crumpled in a pair of old pants for almost a year.

According to the New Jersey Lottery, the unidentified winner purchased the Pick-6 ticket on May 22, 2025, at the Eisenhower Exxon gas station located at 550 Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland, Essex County. The ticket matched all the winning numbers for the $5.9 million jackpot.

With only eight days left before the one-year claim deadline expired on May 22, 2026, the man realized he might have the winning ticket after seeing public announcements about the unclaimed prize.

He first returned to the gas station where he regularly buys tickets and asked the staff for help. Although they could not confirm it, they advised him to search all his old tickets at home.

Following their suggestion, he checked his house thoroughly and eventually searched his closet. Inside a pocket of an old pair of pants, he found the crumpled winning ticket.

He immediately drove to lottery headquarters and successfully claimed the prize on May 14, 2026 — just eight days before it would have expired forever.

A lottery spokesperson reminded players: “We always encourage players to check their tickets carefully. While it’s rare for a jackpot to go unclaimed, many smaller prizes are forgotten every year.”

This case is similar to other incidents in the U.S., including a Pennsylvania woman who lost a $2.5 million winning ticket after donating the jacket containing it to charity.

The lucky New Jersey winner has now claimed his fortune in time.