Mineola man wins $250G in lottery

Rodger O'Gara had just picked up a slice of pizza in his hometown of Mineola when he bumped into a buddy holding a handful of lottery tickets.

"I saw he had lottery tickets in his hand, so I headed next door to buy a few for myself," O'Gara said, according to a New York Lottery news release Friday.

Now, the retired New York Police Department sergeant is $250,000 richer.

O'Gara, 45, matched five of six numbers drawn Tuesday, when the Mega jackpot was $380 million. His only miss was the Mega Ball. He was one of 11 second-prize winners in New York.

Two ticketholders - one from Idaho and another from Washington - split the first-place jackpot, the second largest in the history of the Mega game.

One other $250,000 ticket was sold on Long Island, at Reese Mart-Millenium Gas in Amityville. That winner has yet to come forward, lottery officials said.

O'Gara declined an interview with Newsday. "It's all said and done," he told a reporter Friday. "We're not looking for interviews on it."

O'Gara bought his Quick Pick Mega Millions ticket at Mineola Card & Smoke on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola.

"I only play when the jackpot gets big," O'Gara said in the lottery release.

After O'Gara checked his numbers on the results board at a gas station, he realized he had a winner.

He said he "couldn't believe it" and had the retailer scan his ticket to be sure. "The clerk told me I should get that ticket home safe because I had a big winner," he said in the release.

O'Gara, who is married with two children, said he plans to use the windfall to pay bills and for college for his kids.