North Carolina Man Thought He Was 'Seeing Things' After $100K Lottery Win

A man in North Carolina playing the lottery thought he was "seeing things" after discovering he was the lucky winner of a $100,000 prize.

Timothy Credle , of Fayetteville, purchased a $20 Power 20s scratch off lottery ticket Wednesday (April 17) morning from Massey Hill Inc. on Gillespie Street, according to a release from the NC Education Lottery . It wasn't until he returned to his car and began scratching the ticket that he learned he was a big winner.

"I cut the light on in the car to check to see if I was seeing it correctly," he recalled. "I thought I was seeing things."

When he saw that he won $100,000, he told lottery officials that he " just got so excited ," adding, "I never thought I'd win something like this."

Credle claimed his prize at lottery headquarters on Wednesday, taking home a grand total of $71,506 after all required state and federal tax withholdings. According to lottery officials, he plans to use his winnings to pay some bills and take a trip to the Northeast to visit family.

As for now, he's just basking in his win.

"I didn't believe it at first but now I know it's real," he said.

According to the lottery website, the Power 20s game launched in October with four top prizes of $2 million and eight prizes of $100,000. Following Credle's win, three of the top prizes and five of the $100K remain to be claimed.