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Park ranger furloughed during shutdown wins lottery

Judith Smith, a park ranger in New York, purchased the $29.5 million Pick-6 ticket days before the government shutdown.
Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Mega Millions lottery tickets sit inside a convenience store in Lower Manhattan, October 23, 2018 in New York City. The $1.6 billion Mega Millions prize to be drawn Tuesday night is set to be the largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

TRENTON, N.J. — A park ranger furloughed during the partial federal government shutdown has claimed a $29.5 million lottery jackpot.

The New Jersey Lottery on Wednesday announced Judith Smith had purchased the winning Dec. 17 Pick-6 ticket days before the shutdown closed the Fort Wadsworth recreation area in Staten Island, New York.

The Bayonne, New Jersey, resident and her two children put the ticket in a safe place while seeking legal and financial advice before claiming the jackpot.

The Pick-6 jackpot is the state's largest since May 2004.

The government shutdown ended last month.

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