It took years, using his birthdays and other significant dates whenever he bought a lottery ticket.

But patience has finally paid off for Joseph Suszko, a union carpenter from Clark. Only this time, it was his father's birthday that worked. The New Jersey man has come forward to claim the Pick-6 jackpot of $2,500,768 from the Nov. 14, 2016, drawing.

His ticket matched all six of the numbers drawn for the Pick-6. (The winning numbers were 05, 09, 11, 19, 28 and 29. ) Suszko, who had been playing the same Pick-6 numbers for years, told New Jersey Lottery officials that each time his numbers were not drawn, he believed that it simply provided another opportunity for them to be drawn the next time.



According to a lottery announcement, Suszko was in his truck when he checked his ticket and at first wasn't confident that he read the numbers correctly. He was in shock when he shared the news with his wife. She was thrilled that he had continued to play the lottery all those years and has become a big lottery prize-winner, according to the release. Suszko's lucky retailer is Rahway Discount Liquors, 736 W. Grand Ave., Rahway.