Grandfather of 10 Who Sold $2 Billion Powerball Ticket Gets $1 Million Prize: 'We Are Excited'
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A grandfather of 10 is $1 million richer after his Los Angeles County convenience store sold the winning $2 billion Powerball ticket.
Joseph Chahayed, who immigrated to the United States from Syria in 1980, is the owner of Joe's Service Center, which sold the winning ticket ahead of Tuesday's drawing, according to CBS News and the Los Angeles Times.
The store, located on Woodbury Road in Altadena, has since been awarded a $1 million retailer selling bonus, according to the California State Lottery.
The winnings come as Chahayed, 75, prepares to welcome another grandchild, per CBS Los Angeles.
"My son is expecting a baby in two months, so we are excited!" Chahayed told the outlet. "We can have a nice celebration for another baby."
Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
Chahayed is also the father-in-law of former Cincinnati Bengals player Domata Peko, according to FOX affiliate WXIX-TV. Peko celebrated his in-law's winnings on his Instagram Story following the drawing.
"My Father In-Law Sold the winning PowerBall 2 billion $," Peko wrote, the outlet reported. "Congratulations Baba."
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Chahayed came to the United States with his wife, children and $14,000, according to CBS Los Angeles. He later bought his business, and said he's been working "hard, seven days a week" to give his family a good life.
"I raised my kids, graduated from the college and bought a house and I bought a business all because I work hard and become an honest man," Chahayed told the outlet.
The store, which is run with the help of his family, has become a staple in the community, according to the Times.
Xinhua via Getty
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"People call me Papa Joe because I treat all the people in the neighborhood like my family," Chahayed told the newspaper. "When you treat customer with respect and dignity, they will keep coming to you, they will be loyal to you. We treat the customer like family."
"He's a really hard-working man," added his son, Danny Chahayed. "Seventy-five years old and he refuses to take a day off; he's up at like 5 a.m. every day. No one deserves it as much as he does."
He plans to share the money with his family.
Chahayed said he was "very surprised" and "very excited" to learn that his store had sold the winning ticket for the record Powerball jackpot, CBS News reported.
Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
The winner has yet to come forward to claim their prize, but Chahayed hopes it is someone local. "Most people who buy tickets from me are from the neighborhood," he told the outlet. "I hope one of them will be the winner."
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Thanks to the winning ticket, state schools will also receive $156.3 million in funding, according to the Times. Chahayed said he is happy for both California and Los Angeles, but is especially happy for Altadena. "There are a lot of poor people here," he said, "they deserve it.".
The winner of Monday's Powerball drawing has one year under California law to claim their prize.
