ROSEVILLE, minn. — A 45-year-old suburban Minneapolis man wasted little time Thursday in claiming one-third of a $448 million Powerball jackpot, coming forward only hours after winning.
Paul White, a project engineer from Ham Lake, said at a news conference at Minnesota State Lottery headquarters that his “significant other” called him Thursday morning to say one of three winning tickets for Wednesday night’s drawing had been sold in Minnesota. The other two were sold in New Jersey.
White said he checked the 10 tickets he had bought and realized he had nailed all six numbers on one of them. The divorced father of two teenagers said the ensuing hours had been a blur.
“It’s just surreal at this point. I don’t think you guys can understand — it’s crazy. No worries anymore. It’s crazy,” he said.
White said he worked for a Minneapolis electrical contractor that had worked on the Twins’ Target Field and the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium. He said he’s helping his company finish a few things up, but after that, his working days would be over.
