Steve Tran, a delivery driver from Northern California, came forward this week as the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket holder. And get this: he forgot that he even bought the lucky scrap of paper. Tran only came across the winner ticket on Monday, just sitting there on his dresser, two weeks after the drawing.
Though he wisely didn't talk to reporters, Tran, who bought the ticket Jennifer's Gifts in San Jose, he spoke with lottery officials about how he realized that he was, in fact, the recipient of the second biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.
The Chronicle has more:
Days passed, and Tran and his family went on vacation. He returned a few days ago, and suddenly it came to him."I woke up in the middle of the night," Tran told lottery officials. "I remembered, 'I think I went to San Jose.' "
Tran said he had bought numerous tickets as he drove from town to town on his delivery job, including five at the San Jose store. After bolting upright in bed at 3 a.m. Monday, he checked the tickets and found the winner.
After telling his wife and relatives (egad, why on earth would anyone tell their extended family?!), he called his boss and left him a voicemail that you totally planned on leaving your supervisor had you won. Ahem: "I'm really sorry, boss. I hit the jackpot. I don't think I'm going to come in today, tomorrow, or ever."
Tran, sadly, must share the $636 million windfall with Ira Curry of Georgia.
