Billionaire Wanted: New Jersey Man Wins $1,1 Billion in Lottery, But Won't Claim His Money

The man who won the massive Mega Millions jackpot in New Jersey has not come forward even six months after the drawing. The winner has just a few months to claim his prize, reports NBC.

Back in March, the winning ticket $1,1 billion in Mega Millions lottery winnings sold at ShopRite in Neptune Townshipe. The store has not yet seen anyone come to claim their winnings.

"I'm surprised. This is a big deal," said James Carey, executive director of the New Jersey Lottery.

New Jersey Lottery warns lucky winner: Time is running out. Lottery winners have only one year from the drawing date to come forward and claim their prize. Otherwise, the prize will go unclaimed.

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"Maybe the winner is getting his affairs in order. We don't know what's going on," Carey suggested.

The mystery surrounding the missing winner has been the talk of the town since the beginning of the year. With each passing day, locals want to know why the winner has not come forward.

"He could have thrown away the ticket," said Brenda Schreiber of Neptune.

"Maybe the winner put it away with a bunch of other lottery tickets. He'll do what I did and come home and check them out," said resident John Walsh.

Lottery officials said it was not uncommon for it to take that long. It took about the same amount of time to the winner in South Carolina to show up a few years ago. But time is running out. If a prize goes unclaimed, the money goes back to the states that play the lottery.

"It's no fun for us if someone doesn't claim the prize," Carey admitted. "And I can tell that player: In New Jersey, the law says lottery winners can remain anonymous."