The Garden State just got a little greener: Someone won the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot Tuesday, and the ticket was sold in New Jersey's Monmouth County, officials said.
While the winner of the jackpot that has been growing since early December has not come forward, the New Jersey Lottery on Wednesday announced ShopRite Liquor in Neptune Township sold the ticket.
The $1.13 billion jackpot is "the largest ... ever won in New Jersey," James A. Carey Jr., the executive director of the New Jersey Lottery, told reporters during a news conference at ShopRite's Route 66 location before presenting a $30,000 bonus check to the retailer.
He added this is the 28th time that New Jersey has won a Mega Millions jackpot, the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the eighth-largest jackpot in United States lottery history.
The winning numbers in Tuesday night's drawing were 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4.
"It was not a Quick Pick. It was chosen numbers and it was a one board ticket. One pick," said Adam Perlow with Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, a private operator of the New Jersey Lottery.
Just because the ticket was sold in New Jersey doesn’t mean the winner lives there.
And the public may never learn the person's identity. New Jersey Lottery winners can remain anonymous, according to the game's website. Their names are not allowed for inspection under the Open Public Records Act, Carey added.
The last time someone won the jackpot was Dec. 8, and when there is no winner the jackpot rolls over.
The jackpot has now reset to its default $20 million.
The lottery game is played in 45 states, as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
