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Vik and Christina Bahadur won $1,000 a week for life in the Cash4Life drawing.

(New Jersey Lottery)

New Jersey's first big winners in the new Cash4Life game have come forward.

Vik and Christina Bahadur won $1,000 a week for life when they bought a ticket which matched five numbers for the July 21 bi-state drawing, state lottery officials announced Sunday.

The Manalapan couple matched five numbers but not the green Cash Ball, which would have awarded them the grand prize $1000 a day for life.

The Bahadurs bought their lucky ticket at the Exxon station at the corner of Schibanoff Road and Route 9 north in Freehold Township.

Vik Bahadur said he didn't realize how much he'd won when he went to cash in his ticket at the gas station. "I didn't get excited but then the retailer was saying, 'you did it man. You won ($1,000 a week for life), Bahadur told lottery officials. "I couldn't sleep for two days."

The Bahadurs said they aren't sure how they'll spend the money; they plan to donate some to charity, though.

There have been five grand prize winners since the game began in mid-June, but each of those tickets were bought in New York, the other participating state.

No one has won either of the top prizes in the twice-weekly game since Aug. 7, a drought of 12 consecutive drawings.