Brooklyn truck driver comes forward as $298M Powerball winner, quits job

For David Johnson, quitting his job means a happy ending as he takes a boatload of money in the New York lottery drawing

Blue Telusma

Jan 29, 2019

A Black truck driver from Brooklyn has quit his job and stepped forward as the winner of the second-largest Powerball jackpot in New York Lottery history.

According to local station ABC7NY, after David Johnson won the December 26th drawing for the $298.3 million jackpot he decided to take a single lump sum payment of $180,227,550 which equals $114,091,248 after taxes, and then go into early retirement.

The 56 year old worked right across the street from Arnold’s Service Station on Linden Boulevard where he ended up buying the winning ticket for $5. Johnson admits he didn’t even notice he had won the jackpot until a co-worker alerted him.

“A friend of mine, a next driver for the company, called me and said ‘Hey Dave! Somebody won the Powerball by the gas station,'” Johnson recalls. “I turned to myself I said, ‘Aw that’s not me man, that’s not my luck.'”

That phone call wasn’t enough to get his attention and his persistent friend had to call him a second time to urge him to check his ticket. Two days later, while he was on his way to work, Johnson finally fished out his ticket and got the shock of his life.

I went to the store and gave the ticket to the clerk to check. He scanned it and said ‘Congratulations,’ I needed to see it for myself, so I scanned and saw it read BIG WINNER,” Johnson said.

One the news finally sank in he rejoiced by jumping up and down in the middle of the store. Johnson received his winnings on Friday at Resorts World Casino in Queens and has hired an attorney who will help him invest the money and take care of his family.

He also concedes that he plans to also have some fun with his windfall and is planning to finally buy the red Porsche he’s always wanted, “So everyone can see me when I drive on the street.”

The win marks the third consecutive Powerball jackpot awarded to a New Yorker in 2018.