News writer
A two-year heist involving stolen lottery tickets from convenience store vending machines has landed a New Jersey man in hot water. With over $50,000 in stolen tickets, investigators revealed a scheme that had been quietly unfolding for two years across multiple towns.
Thanks to a coordinated investigation and a bit of clever surveillance, detectives were finally able to catch the suspect in the act, and his lucky streak had come to an end.
The investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Economic Crime Squad, Barnegat Township Police Department, and the New Jersey Lottery Commission, which revealed that 57-year-old Kenneth Franke of Barnegat was stealing New Jersey Lottery tickets from vending machines. In total, there were three machines Franke was allegedly stealing from. Two of them were located at Wawa convenience stores in Barnegat Township, and the third one was at another Wawa location in Lacey Township.
Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Economic Crime Squad were surveilling Franke on December 4, 2024, as he entered one of the Wawa stores located in Barnegat.
During the surveillance, authorities saw Franke obtain multiple lottery tickets from the vending machine. However, he didn't submit proper payment for those tickets.
Detectives arrested Franke at the scene of the crime, and he was transported to the Barnegat Township Police Department.
The charges
After further investigation, authorities determined that Franke had illegally obtained over $50,000 worth of lottery tickets starting in January 2022.
Franke was charged with theft by unlawful taking in connection with the incidents that took place between January 2022 and December 2024 at the three different Wawa locations. He was served the charge via summons pending an upcoming appearance in Ocean County Superior Court.
Back-to-back Jersey Cash 5 wins
While Franke was trying to steal his way to a big lottery win, two other New Jersey Lottery players found luck this past weekend.
On Friday, December 6, one lucky player matched all five of the winning numbers to win the $1.88 million Jersey Cash 5 jackpot. The winning numbers for that Friday night drawing were 7, 21, 28, 31, and 38, and the XTRA number was 2. The Bullseye number was 31.
The winning ticket was purchased at Silverton Buyrite, located at 1922 Hooper Ave. in Toms River.
After the big jackpot win, the Jersey Cash 5 jackpot reset to $150,000 for the next drawing. It didn't take long for another winner to be crowned, as a Bergen County player matched all five of the winning numbers drawn on Saturday, December 7, to win the $150,000 jackpot.
The winning numbers for Saturday night were 14, 16, 27, 30, and 35, and the XTRA number was 3. The Bullseye number was 35. The winning ticket was purchased at 7-Eleven #39387, located at 67 E. Ridgewood Ave. in Paramus.
Both of the lucky retailers will receive a $2,000 bonus check from the state lottery for selling the winning tickets.
Enjoy playing the New Jersey Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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