A New Jersey man has finally claimed a $24million (£18m) lottery jackpot after finding the missing ticket in an old shirt.

Jimmie Smith had just two days left to pick up his life-changing prize money before the lottery’s one-year deadline passed.

The 68-year-old retired security guard explained how watching a news report about the much-publicised unclaimed jackpot reminded him to search for the ticket.

“I ended up with a stack; a pile of tickets, including the one they were talking about on the news,” explained the father-of-two.

The grandfather said he couldn’t believe his lottery win, adding: “I stood there for a minute thinking, ‘Do I see what I think I see?’