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Mystery winner of $1.65 million lottery ticket sold in Armstrong County running out of time to claim cash

Mystery winner of lottery ticket running out of time to claim cash
Mystery winner of lottery ticket running out of time to claim cash 02:14

NORTH APOLLO, Pa. (KDKA) — There's a lottery ticket out there worth about $1.65 million, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery Commission.

The winning ticket was sold at a store in North Apollo, Armstrong County. The problem is that the winner has yet to step forward, and they only have a few more weeks to claim it. 

On Dec. 17, 2021, someone walked into the BP Fueland along River Road and walked out with a slip of paper worth a fortune. The winning numbers are 08-12-18-31-35. 

Since the winning numbers popped up, no one has shown up to claim their fortune. Employees have been asking customers to check their tickets because the store's owner will pocket $10,000 as a reward for selling the winning ticket.

The Pennsylvania Lottery Commission says since 2019, a combined $32 million in scratch-offs and lottery winners have gone unclaimed. 

The mystery winner must claim their $1.65 million by the end of the business day on Dec. 16 or the cash will be put into the lottery fund to help senior citizens.

The question, of course, is how do you lose track of a lottery ticket worth so much money? Well, people KDKA-TV spoke to on Monday said they think those potential millions are in a landfill.

"In the garbage," Rich Pearson said. "Someone didn't check it and threw it away."

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