American woman accidentally donates a jacket with a lottery ticket for $2.5 million to those in need (4 photos + 1 video)
A Pennsylvania retiree claims she won a $2.5 million jackpot. But she accidentally left the winning lottery ticket in her jacket pocket, which she later donated to charity. 
Mildred Simoneriluto, 76, put the Cash 5 ticket in her denim jacket pocket for safekeeping.
“I remember thinking, ‘If I put this in here, I’m not going to forget it,’” she told WTAE.
But her memory failed her. The denim jacket was packed with other items and donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America. The clothes were later picked up by Pickup Please and could now be anywhere in the world. 
Mildred returned to the Stop N' Save store where she bought the ticket, hoping they could help her. However, the lottery refused to give her the winnings without the ticket.
The ticket with the winning numbers 14, 22, 33, 35, 38 expires on May 8. Simoneriluto still hopes that she will somehow be able to get it back. 
Anyone who presents a ticket can claim the prize, which means the pensioner will lose her winnings.
"What else can I do? Just cry and hope for a miracle. I almost went crazy when I realized I lost my ticket. Words cannot describe it," the woman shares.
The Vietnam Veterans of America charity distributes donated items around the world. 
In December, California resident Faramarz Lahijani filed a lawsuit against the lottery after he lost one of his winning Mega Millions tickets. According to the man, he bought two tickets at a gas station in Encino in December 2023 and was only able to claim half of the cash prize on one of them.
When the American realized that he had lost the second ticket, he applied for it on December 4, just three days before the expiration date.
California Lottery officials said that the tickets with the same numbers could only have been purchased at different locations.
The lawsuit seeks the remaining $197 million, which is part of the overall jackpot for the December 2024 drawing. The document claims there is sufficient evidence to prove that Lahijani purchased both winning tickets.
