Kids & Family
Churchville and Holland Men Part of SEPTA 48
Forty-eight SEPTA employees put money into an office Lottery pool for the April 25 drawing, as they always do for a jackpot over $100 million.
Two local men are part of 48 SEPTA employees who will share a $107.5 million jackpot after winning the Powerball Lottery on Wednesday, April 25.
Holland resident James Lemongelli and John Merrigan of Churchville were announced to be two of the winners. Lemongelli is a senior contract administrator for the agency, according to SEPTA .
One SEPTA worker, Bryant Vaders, of Philadelphia, purchased 120 quick-picked Powerball tickets during his lunch break for his office Lottery pool, according to a press release on the Pennsylvania Lottery website. The employees—also know as SEPTA 48—always put money into an office Lottery pool when the jackpot is over $100 million.
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On Friday, May 4, Lottery Executive Director Todd Rucci presented a ceremonial check for $107,533,278.27 to the group of employees, who elected to take the cash value of the jackpot. Each winner will get roughly $2.2 million, less federal withholding, according to the release.
Vaders, who bought the tickets, said the group tries to go to different retailers to purchase tickets. The winning ticket was purchased at Newsstand at the Gallery, located at Ninth and Market Streets in Philadelphia. The ticket matched all five white balls, 04-25-29-34-43, and the red Powerball, 29, to win the third-largest Pennsylvania Lottery prize ever awarded, the release said.
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“I was really busy when I got a call from Bryant that the winning ticket was sold at the Gallery,” said Pamela Schurgot, another group organizer and manager of contract grant compliance at SEPTA. “I thought he was messing around, but I dropped everything to check the tickets.”
“We won!” Schurgot yelled from her office.
She and nine other winners presented the ticket for validation at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County, and Lottery officials confirmed it was the jackpot-winning ticket after examining the ticket and executing proprietary security measures.
Though each of the 48 Lottery winners will take home more than $2 million, no one plans on an early retirement.
“No one plans to quit their jobs,” Schurgot said. “This money will just make everyone’s lives comfortable and free of financial stress.”
As for the retailer that sold the winning ticket, Newsstand at the Gallery will receive a $100,000 bonus.
Aside from a media event Friday morning in Philadelphia, the SEPTA 48 have "asked the media to respect their privacy following the event," according to a note from the Pennsylvania Lottery.
A list of the winners from Montgomery and Bucks Counties:
Phillip Madden, Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County
Michael Piselli, Feasterville, Bucks County
Joseph Doyle, Bensalem, Bucks County
Joseph Kruczynski, Langhorne, Bucks County
Robert Kruczynski, Langhorne, Bucks County
James Lemongelli, Holland, Bucks County
Robert Chope, Hatboro, Montgomery County
Richard Drennen, Hatboro, Montgomery County
Matthew Sheridan, Hatboro, Montgomery County
Robert Landgraf, Abington, Montgomery County
Kevin Derham, Merion, Montgomery County
Emille Williams, Blue Bell, Montgomery County
Dawn Hill, Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County
Leon Faulk, Willow Grove, Montgomery County
John Merrigan, Churchville, Bucks County
A list of the remaining winners:
Harold Simmons, Sr., Philadelphia
Joseph Chimenti, Wilmington, Del.
Bryant Vaders, Philadelphia
Tommy Wells, West Deptford, N.J.
John Paradise, Chester Springs, Chester County
Catherine Pinder, Carneys Point, N.J.
Johnny Shtatman, Philadelphia
Frederick Green, Philadelphia
John Kerrigan, Philadelphia
Hamzeh Abdallah, Marlton, N.J.
James Raymond, Jr., Philadelphia
Joseph D’Ambro, Philadelphia
Silvana Linquist, Philadelphia
Rebecca Ware, Wilmington, Del.; Bernice Kligerman, Philadelphia (splitting a share)
Luigi Pallante, Cherry Hill, N.J.
Marylouise Wagner, Essington, Delaware County
Rodney Crow, Haddon Heights, N.J.
Geraldine Gaiser, Philadelphia
Raymond Farreny, Haddonfield, N.J.
Theresa Poole, Philadelphia
Robin Hearn, Philadelphia
Diane McAndrews, Philadelphia
John Karcher, Kunkletown, Monroe County
Linda Madden, Springfield, Delaware County
Thomas Felder, Jr., Folsom, Delaware County
Daniel DiSantis, Marlton, N.J.
Donald Cleary, Philadelphia
Larry Green, Folcroft, Delaware County
Joseph Byrd, Philadelphia
Andrew Egan, Jr., Berlin, N.J.
Yolanda Mosley, Upper Darby, Delaware County
Anthony Angelone, Sewell, N.J.
Pamela Schurgot, Mantua, N.J.