Pennsylvania Woman Donates Jacket to Charity—With $2.5M Winning Lottery Ticket Still Inside

Imagine winning $2.5 million—and then accidentally giving it away.

That’s the heartbreaking reality for Mildred Simoneriluto, a Pennsylvania woman who recently discovered she had won the lottery, only to realize the winning ticket was tucked inside a jacket she had already donated to charity.

According to Simoneriluto, she purchased the ticket at a local grocery store in May of last year. Two weeks later, while checking her numbers, she was stunned to learn she had hit the jackpot.

But her excitement quickly turned into panic.

“I searched everywhere,” she said. “Then it hit me—I had stuffed the ticket in the pocket of an old jacket and donated it to the Vietnam Veterans of America.”

The nonprofit distributes donated clothing across the country and internationally, making the jacket—and the ticket—nearly impossible to track down.

Worse still, time is running out. Pennsylvania Lottery officials have confirmed that Simoneriluto must physically present the winning ticket to claim the prize. No ticket, no payout.

And the clock is ticking—the ticket expires on May 8.

“I’ve been losing sleep thinking about it,” she admitted. “Somewhere out there, someone could be holding my ticket. I just hope if they find it, they do the right thing.”

The story has sparked a wave of sympathy across social media, with some users calling for policy changes that allow for digital claims or backup verification in extraordinary cases.

But for now, Simoneriluto is left hoping for a miracle—that a good Samaritan finds her jacket, checks the pockets, and comes forward.