Yonkers man hits the jackpot in NY Lottery scratch-off game

YONKERS (WABC) -- A Westchester County man has become an instant millionaire after striking it rich on a scratch-off game.

Kevin Buchanan, of Yonkers, had the best Christmas Day ever after he won the top prize of $5 million on the New York Lottery's Hit $5,000,000 scratch-off game.

Buchanan, who works in construction, said he went to the gym on Christmas morning and then stopped for some breakfast. Afterwards, he decided to go to Yonkers Grocery and Convenience on Yonkers Avenue to buy some lottery tickets.

"I thought to myself 'It's Christmas Day, I guess I'll try my luck,'" he said. "I just randomly bought a couple of lottery tickets, and the Hit $5,000,000 ticket was the last one I picked."

Buchanan said he scratched the ticket right in the store.

"I thought at first I had won $500, then I thought it was $5,000, and then I saw more zeros and almost fell out of my chair," he said. "I thought something was wrong with the ticket, so I scanned it in the machine and the display said Big Money Winner."

Buchanan said it wasn't until he claimed the ticket on December 28 that he started to believe it was true. He chose to receive his prize in one lump sum payment and will receive $3,235,132 after required withholdings.

"I'm going to pay some bills and make some investments for the future," he said. "Nothing is really going to change. I'm just going to live like I always did."

Buchanan is the 167th New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1 million or more in 2014.

The check was awarded at the store where he bought the ticket.