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'Jacket Jackpot:' Pennsylvania woman loses $2.5 million lottery ticket left in donated jacket

'Jacket Jackpot:' Pennsylvania woman loses $2.5 million lottery ticket left in donated jacket
CLOCK TO COLLECT HER WINNINGS. A MONROEVILLE WOMAN HAS 38 DAYS TO FIND A MISSING LOTTERY TICKET BEFORE IT EXPIRES. IT’S WORTH TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. SHE EXPLAINS HOW IT WAS LOST LAST MAY. MILDRED SIMONI, LORETTO WALKED INTO THE MURRYSVILLE SHOP AND SAVE TO PURCHASE A LOTTERY TICKET TO PLAY THE CATCH FIVE. WHAT NUMBERS DID YOU PLAY? 14, 22, 33, 35 AND 38. SIMONI. LORETTO SAYS SHE PLACED THE TICKET IN HER JACKET. I REMEMBER SAYING, IF I PUT IT HERE, I WON’T FORGET IT. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID. A FEW DAYS LATER, TO HER AMAZEMENT, SHE FOUND OUT SHE WAS HOLDING THE WINNING TICKET. I REALIZED THAT IT WON. IT HIT. BUT WHEN SHE LOOKED TO RETRIEVE THE TICKET FROM THE JACKET, IT WAS GONE. IT WAS AMONG THE CLOTHING SHE DONATED TO VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA THE PREVIOUS WEEK. THOSE CLOTHING ITEMS WERE PICKED UP BY A COMPANY CALLED PICK UP, PLEASE. I WAS STUPEFIED. I WAS THERE’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'Jacket Jackpot:' Pennsylvania woman loses $2.5 million lottery ticket left in donated jacket
Mildred Simoneriluto has been living the past year in anguish, fretting over a lost Pennsylvania Cash 5 lottery ticket with winning numbers to a $2.5 million jackpot.Simoneriluto, 76, told sister station WTAE that she purchased the ticket last May at the Shop n' Save grocery store in the Pittsburgh suburb of Murrysville. After she realized she possessed the winning ticket two weeks later, Simoneriluto couldn't locate the ticket — because she donated the jacket where she placed it, with other clothing. "I was stupefied; there are no words for it, there's no expression. How can I get it back," Simoneriluto said. She said it is a Cash 5 ticket with the winning numbers 14, 22, 33, 35, 38, and it expires May 8.Simoneriluto said she donated the jacket and other clothing to Vietnam Veterans of America, which dispenses donations across the country and even outside of the U.S.Authorities with the Pennsylvania Lottery told her she must possess the lottery ticket to claim the jackpot, but that ticket could be anywhere in the world.Simoneriluto realizes, if that ticket is claimed, it may very likely be someone else who turns it in. "What else can I do," she asks. "Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end."

Mildred Simoneriluto has been living the past year in anguish, fretting over a lost Pennsylvania Cash 5 lottery ticket with winning numbers to a $2.5 million jackpot.

Simoneriluto, 76, told sister station WTAE that she purchased the ticket last May at the Shop n' Save grocery store in the Pittsburgh suburb of Murrysville. After she realized she possessed the winning ticket two weeks later, Simoneriluto couldn't locate the ticket — because she donated the jacket where she placed it, with other clothing.

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"I was stupefied; there are no words for it, there's no expression. How can I get it back," Simoneriluto said.

She said it is a Cash 5 ticket with the winning numbers 14, 22, 33, 35, 38, and it expires May 8.

Simoneriluto said she donated the jacket and other clothing to Vietnam Veterans of America, which dispenses donations across the country and even outside of the U.S.

Authorities with the Pennsylvania Lottery told her she must possess the lottery ticket to claim the jackpot, but that ticket could be anywhere in the world.

Simoneriluto realizes, if that ticket is claimed, it may very likely be someone else who turns it in.

"What else can I do," she asks. "Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end."