Unclaimed N.J. lottery ticket worth $1M expires soon

A Cash4Life lottery ticket bought in New Jersey with a cash value of $1 million is weeks from becoming worthless.

The second-prize ticket from the Dec. 8, 2016 drawing matched five numbers, but not the Cash Ball, state lottery officials said Tuesday.

Second-prize Cash4Life tickets are worth either $1 million or $1,000 a week for the remainder of the winner's life, though that election is made at the time of the purchase.

It was bought at the Joyce Kilmer Service Plaza along the northbound New Jersey Turnpike. The service area is located at milepost 78.7 in East Brunswick.

The ticket must be validated at any lottery retailer before Dec. 8. Once validated, the retailer would provide the ticket holder with a validation slip and completed claim form that must be brought to lottery headquarters in Lawrence.

If you hold the winning ticket, sign the back and call the state lottery at 609-599-5800.

In February, Melissa Corcia of Vermont claimed a $1 million Cash4Life prize with five days to spare. She bought the ticket at a liquor store on Mallory Avenue in Jersey City.

Corcia told New Jersey lottery officials her mother heard news reports about an expiring lottery ticket. She checked her tickets and held the winner from the Feb. 22, 2016 drawing.

Cash4Life tickets are sold in New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Drawing are held on Monday and Thursday nights.

The odds of a $2 ticket matching five numbers and winning $1 million are 7,282,016 to 1. It's a 21,846,048 to 1 shot to hit the jackpot -- $1,000 a day for life or the cash option of $7 million.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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