An Oregon man who decided to clean out his office during a recent snow day was in for the surprise of his life when he discovered an unclaimed $1 million lottery ticket he had purchased nearly a year prior. According to the Oregon Lottery, Joemel Panisa found the Mega Millions ticket in the knick of time, as the deadline to claim his winnings was only eight days away.
Panisa told lottery officials that he had purchased the ticket Jan. 13, 2016 for the Jan. 15, 2016 drawing, but had put it in an envelope and forgotten about it. He finally claimed his prize Jan. 9, just ahead of the Jan. 17 expiration date.
Panisa is only the fourth Mega Millions $1 million winner since Oregon began offering the game in 2010.
Read more at OregonLottery.org.
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now
Read More From TIME