Furloughed Bayonne worker wins $29.5 million jackpot

A furloughed park ranger from Bayonne was rewarded with a $29.5 million lottery jackpot for weathering the storm that was the country's longest government shutdown.

Judith Smith, a ranger with the National Park Service at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, and her two children are the winners of the Dec. 17, 2018, Pick-6 Jackpot, the largest Pick-6 jackpot in over 10 years, the New Jersey Lottery Commission, said in a statement. 

"This dedicated worker was waiting along with her colleagues through days of being furloughed without pay and an uncertain determination about when this furlough might end," the commission said.

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A day after the drawing, it was announced that the winning Pick-6 ticket was sold at Eddy’s Wine and Liquors in Bayonne. Smith quickly realized she bought her ticket there, and she sent her son back to Eddy’s and used the self-check machine to scan the ticket to be sure it was the winner, according to the statement. 

When the ticket was confirmed as a winner, Smith squirreled it away in a safe place, and she started calling lawyers and financial advisers to safely claim the prize. On Jan. 17, the Smiths officially claimed their winnings.

Email: torrejon@northjersey.com