Marquetton Carraway stopped into a North Carolina market to purchase some good ‘ol mac and cheese for dinner and he left with a whole lot more than just an American classic meal.
Carraway was on his way out the door after receiving his change from the cashier, but decided to turn around after something told him to buy a scratch ticket. Throwing down $5 on the counter, Carraway snagged up a $5 scratch ticket with a top prize of $200,000.
“I was actually going to the store to [buy] macaroni and cheese to cook,” Carraway said in a statement shared by the NC Education Lottery. “When I got to the counter, the man gave me my change, and I was about to walk out the store until something told me to…buy a ticket.”
When Carraway got home he scratched the ticket off and was in complete shock that he won the top prize of $200,000!
Carraway sent his mother a photo of the prize to “make sure I’m not seeing things,” and she confirmed the win.
The prize winner claimed the jackpot at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Thursday, taking home a $141,501 windfall after state and federal tax withholdings.
Carraway now looks forward to buying a home and sharing the funds for his family to enjoy, the NC Education Lottery said.