Somebody in New Jersey is holding a slip of paper worth $847 million. The only ticket to match all six numbers in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing was sold at the Wegmans Food Market at 100 Farm View in Montvale, a borough in Bergen County, according to MyCentralJersey.com and ABC7 New York. The winner has not been identified.
The jackpot is the ninth-largest in Powerball history and the second-largest of 2026, CBS News New York reported. It ended a run of 35 drawings without a jackpot winner, according to New Jersey 101.5 and ABC7.
The numbers and the payout
The winning white balls in the Nov. 4 drawing were 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56, with a red Powerball of 21. The Power Play multiplier was 2.
The winner has two choices. The $847 million annuity is paid as 30 payments over 29 years, or the winner can take a one-time cash payment of $363.1 million. Both amounts are before federal and state taxes, which winners must pay.
Wegmans will receive a $30,000 bonus for selling the ticket. New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James A. Carey was scheduled to present a ceremonial check to the store at a 2 p.m. news conference Thursday, MyCentralJersey.com reported.
Plenty of smaller winners, too
The big prize was not the only one. More than 1 million tickets nationwide won something in Wednesday’s drawing, NBC10 Philadelphia reported. Twenty-five tickets matched four white balls plus the Powerball for $50,000 each, and four more of those tickets added the Power Play to win $100,000. No ticket matched all five white balls without the Powerball, so no $1 million second prizes were awarded.
Lottery officials urged players to check their tickets carefully. Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery, called the back-to-back jackpots "a testament to the excitement Powerball generates," NBC10 reported.
Back-to-back giant jackpots
This win comes less than three months after a single Illinois ticket claimed a $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot on Aug. 12. That prize now ranks eighth on the all-time list, just ahead of Wednesday’s New Jersey win, ABC7 New York reported.
It is also a big moment for New Jersey. According to New Jersey 101.5, the last Powerball jackpot won in the state was a $223 million prize in June 2024.
Can the winner stay anonymous?
In New Jersey, yes. A 2020 state law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy requires the state to keep private the identities of anyone who wins more than $600, including in public records requests, New Jersey 101.5 reported. The state does share winners’ names with other agencies to check for unpaid obligations such as back taxes or child support.
A financial planner quoted by the station advised big winners to sign the back of the ticket, photograph both sides, store it safely and assemble a team of trusted advisers before taking it to lottery headquarters in Lawrence Township.
What to watch next
The jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing on Saturday, Nov. 7. Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern. The biggest open question is whether, and when, the Montvale ticket holder comes forward to claim the prize. Upstormed News will follow the story.
Why it matters for families
Huge jackpots are fun to talk about around the dinner table, and they can be a good real-life math lesson. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9, according to ABC7. If you play, treat it as entertainment with a set budget, not a money plan, especially during the holiday spending season. For more practical ways to stretch a family budget this month, see our comparison of Thanksgiving meal deals from Amazon, Walmart, Target and Aldi and our guide to the best days to buy toys, TVs and laptops. This is general information, not financial advice.
Read more: Florida Voters Pass Amendment 3 Property Tax Cut: What Homeowners Should Know
If you won a jackpot this size, what is the first thing you would do? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: MyCentralJersey.com via Yahoo News, "$847M Powerball jackpot winner bought lucky ticket at NJ Wegmans" (November 5, 2026); ABC7 New York, "One lucky New Jersey winner hits $847 million Powerball jackpot, ninth-largest ever awarded" (November 5, 2026); CBS News New York, "New Jersey Powerball ticketholder wins $847 million jackpot" (November 5, 2026); NBC10 Philadelphia, "$847M winning Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey" (November 5, 2026); New Jersey 101.5, "New Jersey Powerball winner: $847 million jackpot" (November 5, 2026)
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