Alaska News

Man finds winning $4.85 million lottery ticket in cookie jar

An Illinois man made a sweet discovery at the bottom of his cookie jar.

Ricardo Cerezo, of Geneva, who was facing eviction, found a winning $4.85 million lottery ticket in the jar, the Chicago Tribune reported.

"It couldn't have happened at a better time," Cerezo, a management consultant, told reporters.

"I just thought, this is how God works."

Cerezo said his wife was cleaning out the kitchen and told him that the 11 lottery tickets he had accumulated in a cookie jar needed to be checked or she would put them in the trash.

Cerezo, 44, took them to a nearby store and while he had no luck with the first 8 tickets, the next one from the February 2 draw was a winner.

"I'm awestruck, this is unbelievable," he said, ABC News reported.

He and his wife plan to use the money to pay off their mortgage and other bills, share a portion with their son and daughter, and donate to their church and favorite charities, NBC reported.

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