STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Sterling Heights man will be able to celebrate the holidays one million dollars richer.
Peter DeLuca, 51, won the Michigan Lottery prize from playing Powerball. He bought the winning ticket at a Kroger store located at Schoenherr Road in Sterling Heights.
“I buy a few tickets here and there when the jackpot gets high,” said DeLuca. “I stuck this ticket in my car and forgot about it until I found it on Wednesday."
“I took the ticket to 7-Eleven to scan it and see if it was winner. When the clerk scanned it, she told me it was more than she could cash so she printed off the numbers from the drawing so I could check the ticket and see how much I’d won. As she read them off to me, I couldn’t believe I was seeing them all on my ticket!”
With his winnings, DeLuca is planning to take a trip to let the big win "sink in," and then save the rest for his retirement.
“Winning really hasn’t fully hit home yet, but it does give me some peace of mind to know that I will have this for a more comfortable retirement when I decide to slow down,” DeLuca said.