Honestly, we’ve all done it. You’re standing in line at a Wawa or a QuickChek, and you see the neon sign flashing a number like $634,313 or maybe even a staggering $2.8 million. You think, “Why not?” You hand over a couple of bucks, get that slip of thermal paper, and for a few hours, you’re basically a millionaire in your head.
But for a handful of people every single week, that daydream actually turns into a very frantic reality. Just this past Friday, January 16, 2026, some lucky soul in Somerset County hit the jackpot. They matched all five numbers—13, 25, 38, 39, and 41—to bag exactly $634,313. The ticket was sold at Raritan Oil on East Somerset Street. Imagine stopping for gas and walking out with a ticket worth more than most people's houses. It’s wild.
The Reality of Being Jersey Cash 5 Lottery Jackpot Winners
When we talk about jersey cash 5 lottery jackpot winners, we aren't talking about the "island-buying" wealth of Powerball. This is the "Jersey-style" win. It’s the kind of money that pays off the mortgage in Cherry Hill, puts the kids through Rutgers, and maybe lets you finally get that shore house in Belmar.
The game is a daily grind. Because it’s drawn every single night, the jackpots move fast. Most people don't realize that Jersey Cash 5 actually has the best odds of any draw game in the state to make you a jackpot winner, sitting at about 1 in 1.2 million. Compare that to the hundreds of millions to one for Mega Millions, and you see why people love it.
Recent Massive Wins and Record Breakers
Lately, the numbers have been getting weirdly high. Usually, these jackpots hit and reset at $150,000 before they can get too crazy. But 2025 was a bizarre year for the game. On October 7, 2025, the jackpot climbed to a record-breaking $3.8 million. Two players—one from Camden County and one from Monmouth—had to split it.
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Then, just a couple of months ago in December 2025, a single player in Middletown bought a ticket at the One Stop Food Store on Main Street. That person took home $2,849,336 all by themselves. That is currently the highest individual prize the game has seen in over a year.
What the Tax Man Actually Takes
Look, the "big check" you see in the photos isn't what hits the bank account. It sucks, but it’s the truth. If you’re one of the lucky jersey cash 5 lottery jackpot winners, the government is your first and most demanding "relative."
Here is the basic breakdown of how the money disappears before you touch it:
- Federal Withholding: The IRS takes a flat 24% right off the top if the win is over $5,000.
- State Taxes: New Jersey is famous for many things, and taxes are high on that list. For lottery prizes over $500,000, the state takes 8%. If you win between $10,001 and $500,000, they take 5%.
- The Final Bill: Since lottery winnings are taxed as ordinary income, you’ll likely end up in the highest federal bracket (37%). You’ll owe the difference between that 24% already withheld and your final tax rate when April 15 rolls around.
Basically, if you win $1 million, you should probably expect to keep around $600,000 to $650,000. It’s still a life-changing chunk of change, but it's not "never work again" money for most people in the Garden State.
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The "Bullseye" and "XTRA" Factors
Most regulars don't just play the base game. They add the Bullseye or XTRA. This is where the smaller jersey cash 5 lottery jackpot winners—the ones who match 4 out of 5 numbers—actually make their "gas and groceries" money.
In that Somerset win on January 16, 2026, there were 25 people who matched four numbers plus the Bullseye. They each got $500. Three of those people had the XTRA multiplier (which was X2 that night), so they walked away with $1,000. It’s not the jackpot, but it’s a pretty great weekend.
The "Curse" vs. The Reality
You always hear those horror stories about lottery winners going broke or getting hounded by "cousins" they’ve never met. In Jersey, it’s a bit different. Since 2020, winners have the option to remain anonymous. This was a massive law change.
Back in the day, the NJ Lottery would put your face on a billboard. Now? You can take your $1.99 million (like the Middlesex County winner did on January 10, 2026) and just... vanish. Most modern winners are getting smarter. They aren't buying gold-plated Ferraris. They’re hiring tax attorneys in Morristown and wealth managers in Princeton.
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I've heard stories of winners who didn't even quit their jobs. One guy who won a couple of years ago kept working as a contractor. He just bought a better truck and stopped taking the "nightmare" jobs he used to hate. That’s the real Jersey dream: having enough money to tell a rude client to go jump in the Atlantic.
How to Handle a Win (If It Happens Tonight)
If you check your phone at 11:00 PM and see those five numbers staring back at you, do not—I repeat, do not—sign the back of the ticket immediately without thinking.
- Take a breath. Your life just changed, but the ticket is a "bearer instrument." If you lose it, whoever finds it owns it.
- Secure the ticket. Put it in a safe or a bank lockbox. Don't leave it on the sun visor of your car.
- Consult the pros. You need a CPA and a lawyer. Not your buddy who does taxes on the side, but a real professional who understands windfall gains.
- Decide on anonymity. Decide if you want the world to know. In New Jersey, you have that right. Use it.
- Claiming the prize. You have exactly one year from the date of the drawing to claim your prize at the Lottery Headquarters in Trenton. If you wait 366 days, that money goes back into the state's pension fund and the general prize pool.
The Jersey Cash 5 is a unique beast. It’s fast, it’s daily, and it’s deeply woven into the local culture. Whether you’re playing at a bodega in Newark or a gas station in Cape May, the dream is the same. Just remember that being one of the jersey cash 5 lottery jackpot winners is as much about managing the aftermath as it is about picking the right numbers.
The next drawing is tonight. The jackpot is currently sitting at $150,000 because of that Somerset hit, but give it a few days of no winners, and we’ll be right back in the millions.