Frazier Park man identified as $1.76 billion lottery winner purchased winning ticket 500 yards from his home
FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (KGET) – And we have a winner…more specifically, a verified claim on the $1.76 billion Powerball ticket purchased at a mini-market in Frazier Park last October.
The mountain town the winner calls home is 45 miles south of Bakersfield and a stone’s throw from the store where he purchased it.
If you were wondering if someone absent-mindedly sent that near-record Powerball ticket through the wash, obliterating their chance to claim the second highest jackpot in Powerball history, you’re not alone.
Plenty of people in the Kern County town of Frazier Park, population 3,000 and change, were curious about it.
Jonathan Mathews, who owns a video store, was one.
“I thought for a while we were going to go down as the dumbest town on earth,” he said. “Speaking frankly. Just to lose a ticket like that – I could only imagine.”
Local residents have their answer. Not only has the jackpot been claimed, it’s been claimed by a guy who lives a mere 500 yards from the Midway Market, where it was sold five months ago. State law requires lottery winners to be identified – that’s the only reason we knew to come looking for 65-year-old Theodorus Struyck, who the California Lottery says represents a group of winners.
What took you so long, Mr. Struyck? Well, the winner wasn’t home to explain and his neighbors, who didn’t have any idea they had a billionaire in their midst, were no help. They did say it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Mary Dreier lives across the street, in the unincorporated Lake of the Woods neighborhood.
“He adores his grandchildren,” she said. “He’s just really pleasant to have around. I noticed yesterday he put up that Posted: No Trespassing sign.”
Neighbor Rick Kotnik says he talks to Struyck about fishing frequently – sometimes for an hour straight, sometimes more. But he has no idea where his neighbor is now.
“And if I knew I wouldn’t tell you,” he said, laughing.
The townsfolk seem to agree this is a community that deserves some good fortune.
“Frazier Park is an awesome town,” said a Midway Market customer who identified himself only as Dave.
Nidal “Andy” Khalil, the owner of the Midway Market, where the winning ticket was sold, said he’s sure he’d know Theo if he saw him, but he doesn’t recognize the name. He’d be happy to sell him another winning ticket, though.
“It happened before at some other retailers,” he said. “A friend of mine in Lancaster, he sold (winning tickets) two or three times. I think people are starting to come here more to buy tickets. Lucky (ticket-dispensing) machine, I guess.”
Lucky machine, huh? Can lightning strike twice in the same place?
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The winners’ jackpot win came on the 36th draw for that Powerball sequence – a run that allowed California Lottery to raise an additional $119.5 million for public schools, the California Lottery said in a press release.
Midway Market – a family-owned business for 30 years – received a $1 million bonus check for selling the ticket, the California Lottery said in a press release.
California Lottery’s more than 23,000 retail partners collectively earned more than $18 million in commissions and bonuses during that historic three-month jackpot run, according to the California Lottery.
This was the second largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won, coming in behind the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot of 2022, also hit in California, according to the California Lottery. California Lottery players have won, or co-won, the top four-largest jackpots in Powerball history dating back to 2016 – all worth more than $1 billion, according to the Lottery.
The next Powerball draw on Saturday carries a jackpot currently estimated at $600 million. Similarly, the Mega Millions prize pot has also been surging, with a jackpot just increased to an estimated $815 million for the next draw.
The current Mega Millions run, which has been going for more than three months, has helped California Lottery raise an estimated $59.9 million for public schools.
For every Powerball or Mega Millions ticket sold in California, approximately 80 cents goes toward public schools.
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