Winning Powerball Ticket Nearly Flew Out The Window

While 91 people fell in love with the number 16 back on April 29, two people fell deeply, madly, and forever in love with the number 15.

And one of them has stepped forward to profess it.

An Indiana resident has claimed one of the two top prizes from the Powerball drawing a little over two months ago. That player — along with 90 others across America — played the following five numbers: 3, 19, 35, 51, and 67. You’ll note they are all separated by the 16 spots on the number line, and if you look at a Powerball punch ticket, the numbers are all in the same column.

So yes — 91 people across the country had the same idea, went right down the column, and won either $1 million or $2 million (if they purchased the multiplier).

But only two of those 91 tickets had the red Powerball of 15, splitting a $143 million jackpot.

And one of those tickets nearly flew out the window.

Whoosh

That winning ticket was purchased at Al’s Supermarket in La Porte, Indiana, according to a Powerball press release. The woman who purchased the ticket went right down the column line on the playslip, and stuck that — and a few other tickets — in her purse. 

A few days later, she was sitting in her driveway and remembered she had purchased the tickets, so she decided to check them out. 

And one of the tickets promptly flew out the open car window. As she went to retrieve it, she glanced at one of the tickets still in her hand. The numbers looked familiar. She let the other ticket fly into the Indiana atmosphere.

“I was numb,” is how she described her realization of what she was holding. “I was just speechless, in disbelief.”

The winner took the lump sum cash payout of $32.6 million, and the Chicago Bears fan is planning on using some of that cash to see her beloved Bears live. She’s also planning on taking her dream vacation to Alaska.

”Indiana’s connection to Powerball began with the game’s very first jackpot winner in 1992 and more than three decades later, we’re still making history,” said Hoosier Lottery Executive Director Sarah M. Taylor in the press release. “The April 29 drawing produced our record-setting 40th Powerball jackpot winner, along with 19 additional millionaires. With this claim, we’ve had the privilege of celebrating each Champion of Play and closing out Indiana’s Millionaire Moment.” 

July 4 Fireworks

Next up on the docket?

Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing and Saturday’s Powerball.

First up, Mega Millions, where the current jackpot is sitting at a tasty (and estimated) $542 million.

At this point in the cycle, this is the second-largest jackpot for Mega Millions since the switch to $5 tickets in April 2025. The biggest, thus far, was last Nov. 14, when it hit $983 million and was won by a Georgia resident. 

Powerball, meanwhile, has an estimated top prize of $396 million for the Saturday drawing.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.82 billion, Powerball, Dec. 24, 2025, won in Arkansas
3. $1.79 billion, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
4. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
5. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
6. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
7. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
8. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
10. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon

Here is the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $834.9 million, Powerball, Dec. 24, 2025, won in Arkansas
5. $820.6 million, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
6. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
7. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
9. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
10. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine