Vista

$1 Million Lottery Winner Bought Ticket in Vista While Pumping Gas

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FILE

One lucky San Diego County man felt the dread Californians share of filling their gas tank and walked away $1 million richer.

Alfredo Mendez was in Vista when he decided to go to the ARCO gas station on 1403 South Santa Fe Ave. to pump some gas. There, he made the fateful decision to buy a 50X Fortune Scratchers ticket that he later would learn would make him rich.

“This is going to change our lives,” Mendez said in a press release by the California Lottery. “I just want to focus on trying to buy a house for my kids. We’ve been renting so long. It would be a dream to finally have a place of our own.”

The local father didn’t know he was a winner until he stopped somewhere to grab a bite to eat. While waiting for his order, he began to scratch at the ticket and soon learned of his luck.

“I was thinking it was a joke or something. I was like, ‘No way! Hold on!’” Mendez continued in his statement. “I really thought it was a prank until I scanned it on the (California Lottery) app and it turned green and said the amount. I thought it was a fake.”

Pain at the pump? It’s hardly a thing anymore for this lottery winner.

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