Winner of $100,000 Powerball prize thought it was an April Fools’ prank: ‘It felt so unreal’

This prize was no joke. A Michigan man thought he was being duped on April Fools’ Day when he won $100,000 on a Powerball ticket. Jeremiah Maher, 43, hit the six-figure prize in the Michigan Lottery’s April 1 drawing when he matched four white balls and the Powerball.

His $50,000 prize was doubled because he had purchased a “Power Play” option for another dollar, officials said. “I looked at my numbers after the drawing and I thought someone was pulling an April Fools’ Day prank on me,” Maher told the Michigan Lottery . “It felt so unreal to see my numbers come up in the drawing.



It’s definitely the most exciting April Fools’ Day I’ve ever had,” he added. He bought his winning ticket at his local 7-Eleven store on Ecorse Road in his hometown Taylor, just outside of Detroit. Maher retrieved his prize at the Lottery headquarters in Lansing.

He said he plans to put the winnings towards buying a new house..