Newark co-workers one number off from Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot

Missed the $146,000,000, trio splits $250,000

Steve Tarnowski, Daniel Allerton and Craig Henkel

For years, several of the employees at Palmer Distributing in Newark collectively contributed a few dollars each to a pot to buy lottery tickets, but only when the Mega Millions reached a mega amount. Some employees joined in, while others opted out as the years went by.

The remaining trio of Steve Tarnowski, Daniel Allerton and Craig Henkel were the only employees participating in the December 14th Mega Millions drawing worth an estimated $146,000,000. Each put $5 into the pot.

No one checked the tickets until Steve went into the P&C store in Newark four days later and began running the purchased tickets through the automated scanner. When Steve ran the first ticket through, it came up a $250,000 winner. He continued to run the remaining tickets through the scanner and when finished asked the counter clerk to verify the big winner. Sure enough, with a yell, she screamed “You won!” Steve quickly calmed the woman, exited the store to inform his co-players.

Ironically, the boys had picked all five winning numbers, but missed on the last power ball number. They had picked the number ‘32', but the power ball number that day was ‘34'.

Arcadia Town Clerk, Diane Allerton, wife of winner, Dan Allerton, calmly sat at her office desk and explained that if the co-workers had hit the final number: “I wouldn't be sitting here. Still, it's a nice gift.”

If $250,000 sounds like a nice “gift”, even split three ways, remember that, although this is a government sponsored lottery, the government takes their ‘fair share' of the winnings. The three amigos each received $83,333.33, minus $56,792.33 withholding tax. This left $56,792.33, some of which will be put aside in case there are more income taxes down the road.

Diane said she and Dan paid off a number of bills after the check was received last Wednesday, are having a new floor put in at their home, taking a trip, and tucking the remainder away in a bank account for a rainy day.