Winning lottery ticket was forgotten in man’s wallet for week. Now he’s in ‘disbelief’

A Michigan man bought a Fantasy 5 lottery ticket earlier this year, then stuffed the ticket in his wallet and moved on.

During the daily drawing on May 30, his ticket won the jackpot with numbers 08-20-29-33-39, according to a June 23 news release from the Michigan Lottery.

But Yandiel Cruz-Chavez, of Wyoming, Michigan, had no idea the $199,407 Fantasy 5 jackpot was waiting for him.

“I bought a Fantasy 5 ticket and forgot I had it in my wallet until a week after the drawing,” Cruz-Chavez said in the release. “I checked the ticket at the store and got a message to file a claim, so I looked up the winning numbers online. When I realized I’d won the jackpot, I was in disbelief at first. Once it sunk in that I had really won, I was overcome with excitement and called everyone in my family to tell them the good news!”

Cruz-Chavez recently claimed his winnings, officials said. He plans to pay for home improvements before saving the rest.

“This prize came at the perfect time and is a huge blessing to me and my family,” he said when claiming his jackpot prize.

The winning ticket was sold at Big Top Market in Wyoming, part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area.

This story was originally published June 23, 2023 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Winning lottery ticket was forgotten in man’s wallet for week. Now he’s in ‘disbelief’."