Road trip turns into a $1M Mega Millions win after nearly tossing ticket

It was supposed to be just another pit stop during a road trip, but for this California man, a quick visit to Pavilions in Newport Beach would soon lead to a life-changing surprise. While picking up a few things, he decided to grab some Mega Millions tickets as the jackpot was growing.

Little did he know that seemingly ordinary purchases would lead to a lottery win he almost missed — literally. The ticket almost made it into the trash but instead turned out to be a $1 million winner.

The road trip almost went wrong

In August 2024, Joaquin Vaughn Redo and his family were traveling through California. They decided to stop at Pavilions, located on Newport Coast Drive in Newport Beach, to pick up a few things. While there, he decided to pick up some Mega Millions tickets also.

Vaughn Redo told California Lottery officials:

We play Mega Millions and Powerball when we see the pot is growing or something. When the pot’s big enough, the whole family gets excited and puts in whatever bites.

The jackpot must have been big enough, as Vaughn Redo decided to buy some tickets for the August 16, 2024, drawing. However, the road trip was top of mind for the family, and they all completely forgot about the drawing until they came across the ticket a couple of weeks later.

Vaughn Redo told lottery officials that he was about to throw the ticket away because “I’ve never won the lottery.”

No trash for this ticket

Well, the ticket never made it into the trash, as he decided to check it despite never winning the lottery before. It paid off, as he found himself in “a kind of disbelief” after he saw his numbers matched the winning numbers.

For that August 16, 2024, drawing, the winning white ball numbers were 22, 38, 48, 51, and 61, and the Mega Ball was 5. Vaughn Redo ended up matching all five of the winning white balls but missed out on the Mega Ball to win $1.02 million.

He recently made his way to lottery headquarters to turn in that nearly-trashed ticket and claim his winnings. With the prize money in hand, he told lottery officials he plans on using it for a down payment on a house.

More million-dollar winners

Vaughn Redo wasn’t the only one hitting it big playing the California Lottery. In fact, lottery officials have seen a slew of scratcher winners claiming their big prizes, which include:

• Royer Villatoro Lopez- They also won $1 million playing the Triple Red 777 scratcher game, which they purchased at Jade Video in Rowland Heights.
• Jnel Erskine- They won $1 million playing the Triple Red 777 scratcher game, which they bought at 7-Eleven, located at the corner of W. McFadden Avenue and Goldenwest Street near Greer Park in Huntington Beach.
• M. Vansyoc- They won $1 million playing the Winter Magic Multiplier scratcher game, which they purchased at Safeway, located on the corner of Miramonte and Cuesta in Mountain View.
• Jose Baltazar Campos- He won $1 million playing the LOTERIA Grande scratcher game, which he purchased at B&K Market, located on Eucalyptus Avenue in Bellflower.
• Maria Samoy Moines- She won $1 million playing the $100 Million Mega Cash scratcher game, which she purchased at Hi Bev Liquor in National City.

Enjoy playing the California Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.