New York Plumber Cashes in Big on Lotto Winnings, and Has His Broken-Down Truck to Thank

For Staten Island plumber Anthony Perosi, his truck breaking down was one of the best things that's ever happened to him.

When Anthony Perosi couldn't get his truck to start back on March 27, he knew it would take some money to fix. So he went down to his basement where he kept a $2 lottery ticket, hoping for the best.

Perosi had bought the ticket at a 7-Eleven station six weeks before. He played the random five numbers twice a week – but never the Powerball, the New York Times reported.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

A few days after he purchased the ticket, Perosi was eating lunch at a restaurant where someone told him that same 7-Eleven store had sold a winning ticket.

Its value: $136 million.

“I says, ‘I’ve played at Page Avenue 7-Eleven,’ ” Perosi recalled of the moment he found out.

"Forget about it,'" Perosi's friend, Sandy, told him at the restaurant. “You didn’t win nothing.”

Sandy had heard a schoolteacher had already claimed the cash, so Perosi didn't check his numbers.

Not until his truck broke down, when he really needed some extra money.

He checked the numbers online. Unbelievably, he'd hit the multimillion jackpot.

This Plumber hit $136M #Lottery behind a pipe in his basement over a month. https://t.co/n6SxyhUsnF pic.twitter.com/wJCwqEc8pm

— Lotto Agent (@lotto_agent)

June 5, 2015

"When I saw all the numbers matched up, I panicked," Perosi told the Associated Press. "I immediately called my son and asked him to come over right away!"

Perosi split the earnings 70/30 with his son, Anthony III. After Uncle Sam took its share for taxes, Perosi pocketed a cool $38,612,055. His son kept $16,548,023.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Perosi's 27-year-old son said. "I checked the numbers on my phone and it has been surreal ever since."

The elder Perosi said he still plans to work even though he's now a millionaire, but less than he did before. As for how he might spend the money, the Staten Island man said he'll buy another truck and travel to upstate New York.

(H/T: New York Times)

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