$298M Powerball jackpot a surprise win for Brooklyn, NY, truck driver
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Powerball winner David Johnson collects his prize. (New York Lottery)
Christmas came late for a Brooklyn, N.Y., truck driver who collected his winnings Friday for the second-largest Powerball jackpot in New York Lottery history.
But David Johnson, 56, who won the Dec. 26 drawing for the $298.3 million jackpot, doesn't seem to mind.
"I can't even eat. I start and can't finish my food," Johnson told Fox 5 New York. "I'm happy with joy inside."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Johnson said he wanted to buy a "nice house" and plans to enjoy an early retirement, the station reported.
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Johnson elected to claim his winnings as a lump sum of about $180 million, so he will get about $114 million after taxes, the reports said. He was the third Powerball jackpot winner in New York in 2018, according to the New York Lottery.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The lucky winner bought his ticket for $5 and didn't realize he won until two days later on his way to work, New York's WABC-TV reported.
"A friend of mine, a next driver for the company, called me and said 'Hey Dave! Somebody won the Powerball by the gas station,'" Johnson said. "I turned to myself I said, 'Aw, that's not me, man. That's not my luck.'"
But his friend encouraged him for the second time to check, and the rest is history.
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Johnson's winning numbers for the Dec. 26 drawing were 5, 25, 38, 52, 67 and Powerball 24.