RELEASE DATE: 8/23/2013
TRENTON (August 23, 2013) – The winners of the $19 million Mega Millions jackpot prize, drawn on July 26, claimed their winnings with bright smiles but no fanfare on Friday, August 2 at Lottery Headquarters. Barbara Matta and Karl Herkert are the fortunate winners from Kearny, New Jersey. They were extremely excited about their good fortune and determined that it would take some time to contemplate how this great win will change their future. They claimed the jackpot of $19 million with a cash value of $13 million. The net ticket value was more than $9.4 million.
The long-time couple did not have too many items on their wish list just yet but did say that they intend to wed in the near future. Before that, though, their first order of business, after leaving the Lottery, was to have some fun in Atlantic City. Matta said, “I love A.C.!” Presumably, she also now loves the New Jersey Lottery.
Matta purchased the winning ticket at Dollar Subs, 646 Elm Street, Kearny in Hudson County. The winning numbers were one of five Quick Pick bets she purchased on the same ticket for the draw. The jackpot winning numbers were: 04, 22, 23, 27 and 38. The Gold Mega Ball was 42 and the Megaplier Multiplier was 04.
The July 26 jackpot was the culmination of three draws beginning on July 19. The revenue generated from these games will benefit many New Jersey residents because the Lottery contributes a minimum of 30 percent back to the State Treasury in support of educational programs and institutions. Some of the beneficiaries include: county college capital improvement initiatives; school nutrition efforts; the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf; the operation of centers for the developmentally disabled; state psychiatric hospitals; homes for veterans; higher education tuition and grants; and aid to colleges and universities. The Lottery contribution to the State from these three draws topped $1.28 million. In Fiscal Year 2013, Powerball sales contributed more than $126 million to these beneficiaries.
During the three-draw run, nearly 68,000 other New Jersey Lottery players claimed prizes totaling $393,191. In addition, New Jersey businesses profited with commissions of more than $153,000. This Mega Millions win was part of an amazing New Jersey run of luck. There was one major New Jersey jackpot win in 2012 and then a string of six major jackpot wins in 2013. The win history reads as follows:
1. March 21, 2012: $70 million Powerball win by Joseph and Celeste Tamburello from Tinton Falls.
2. January 25, 2013: $89 million Mega Millions win by Angel Guallpa-Mayancela from Orange.
3. March 23, 2013: $338.3 million Powerball win by Pedro Quezada from Passaic.
4. May 17, 2013: $190 million Mega Millions win by Giuseppe “Joe” Garofalo of Tinton Falls.
5. May 31, 2013: $30 million Mega Millions jackpot win by Mr. and Mrs. Smith in Buena.
6. July 26, 2013: $19 million Mega Millions jackpot won by Barbara Matta and Karl Herkert in Kearny.
7. August 7, 2013: New Jersey sold two out of the three jackpot winning tickets sold for the Powerball draw that night. Each ticket was worth more than $86 million each. The New Jersey winners were the Ocean’s 16 Group from Toms River and Mario Scarnici from Monmouth Junction.
When two out of the three jackpot-winning tickets were sold in New Jersey for the same Powerball draw on August 7, it made the record books! The last time any State sold two jackpot-winning tickets for the same draw was more than 20 years ago in 1993 when that occurred in Washington, D.C.
The New Jersey Lottery has acquired a new motto – Jersey Strong and Jersey Lucky!