Workers Caught on Video Celebrating Wildly After 'Winning' $949M Powerball — 20 Minutes Later, the Devastating Truth Emerges

Employees at a New Jersey restaurant were caught on a recently published video celebrating what they thought was a $949 million Powerball jackpot victory Saturday — only to realize 20 minutes later that they had mistakenly used the previous Wednesday’s winning numbers to check their Saturday ticket.

The mistaken victory celebration began at Grissini’s Restaurant in Englewood Cliffs after bartender Charles Poveromo, 55, received a text from a friend containing what he thought were the latest Powerball numbers, according to the New York Post. What the friend did not know, however, was that the lottery's website had not yet been updated and was instead showing the winning numbers from Wednesday.

“I picked up my phone and start calling out the numbers to everyone here,” Poveromo told the New York Post. “All the numbers matched our tickets. Then pandemonium hit. There was just so much joy, and I can’t put into words the feelings of euphoria that we all felt.”

A total of 42 employees chipped in to purchase their $210 worth of lottery tickets. After hearing the numbers called out, one dishwasher ripped off his apron and screamed, "I'm outta here! I quit!" according to the restaurant's general manager, Mike Devincenzi, the Post reported.

No one ultimately won the Wednesday jackpot of $528 million, although Wednesday's winning numbers of 2, 11, 47, 62, 63 and 17, were identical to the Grissini's employees' Saturday numbers, WNBC-TV noted.

The restaurant employees' euphoria came to an abrupt end after Poveromo's wife told him to double-check the numbers.

"I still can't believe it," Poveromo told WNBC. "What a feeling."

—

Follow Kathryn Blackhurst (@kablackhurst) on Twitter