Brighten Your Day

Wife Makes Husband Return Orange Juice, Wins $315M Lottery With $2 He Saved

November 25, 2023

In the suburbs of New Jersey, an inconvenient return trip to a local grocery store turned into a life-altering adventure for one unsuspecting man.

Little did he know that a frugal decision by his wife would set the stage for an unimaginable twist of fate.

Tayeb Souami / Credit: WPVI

56-year-old Little Ferry resident Tayeb Souami had purchased orange juice for $5 at a ShopRite in Hackensack, but his wife told him to return it because it was on sale for $2.50 elsewhere.

Souami then went to the customer service counter, and the Powerball sign that read $306 million caught his eye.

So, he bought two tickets with the cash he was refunded from the orange juice.

The next day, Souami stopped at a local convenience store to check his lottery tickets. The first ticket scanned wasn't a winner, he said. The second ticket was "good," but on the scanner read instructions to see the cashier.

Souami thought the machine was broken.

The cashier immediately said "Oh my God," after scanning the ticket, Souami said. "What do you mean by, 'Oh my God?'" he asked her. But she kept repeating it, causing Souami's heart rate to soar.

It took him two hours to get home because his hands were shaking. When he walked in the door, his wife asked him what took him so long and then started crying when he showed her the lottery form.

In the end, the tale of the $5 orange juice bottle serves as a reminder that life's most remarkable moments often unfold when we least expect them. From a seemingly mundane errand to the pinnacle of fortune, John's story is a testament to the unpredictable and magical nature of life's journey. And who would have thought that a bottle of orange juice could hold the key to a multi-million dollar jackpot?

The universe works in mysterious ways indeed.