A Black New Jersey woman strikes gold after being announced the winner of the $429.6 million Powerball jackpot in the state on Friday.
New Jersey woman Perlie Smith—- a 70-year-old mother of seven children — plans on sharing her $429.6 million Powerball jackpot with her family and church.
According to a report from NBC News, the winner’s eldest daughter, Valerie Arthur, said the winning numbers came to them “in a dream.” NBC News also reports that this is the 6th largest jackpot in the Powerball’s history.
“We had divine intervention,” Arthur said. “That’s the only way you can explain how the numbers were chosen. It was through a dream.”
Proprietor Andrea Shin of a Trenton 7-Eleven sold Smith the winning ticket and was awarded $30,000 Wednesday. Shin tells reporters that she believes the winner was one of her regular customers.
“It’s great for the Trenton community to have something positive going on, ” Shin told NBC News. “Everybody is excited for the winner.”
Smith says she wants to pay off her mortgages, students loans, and do some good in her community. She sees the money as a way to become a change-agent in her beloved hometown.
