Presenting the $35 million man

Powerball winner overwhelmed with attention

By MARJORIE RIDDLE - mriddle@thestate.com

The Gaston construction worker who won a $35.3 million Powerball jackpot spent Monday night and Tuesday fielding a deluge of calls from news reporters, friends and family who learned he’d become an overnight millionaire.

Jonathan Vargas, 19, said his phone has not stopped ringing. He was overwhelmed by all the attention his lottery win was getting.

“I’ll get back to you,” he said when reached Tuesday afternoon.

Vargas is the youngest winner and the only South Carolinian to win the S.C. Education Lottery Powerball Jackpot, said Stephanie Summers Hemminghaus, lottery spokeswoman.

The previous four winners were all North Carolina residents.

The Airport High School graduate picked the six winning numbers using the upcoming birthdays and ages of his four siblings, his mother’s age and a lucky number to determine his winning numbers: 12, 14, 15, 21, 43 and 30.

Along with an iced tea and gasoline, he purchased the ticket Saturday at a Cayce Raceway station and determined he was the big winner watching a TV newscast at 11 p.m. Saturday.

Vargas intends to invest most of the money, buy a new house for his family and set up trust funds for his sister and three brothers.

Reach Riddle at (803) 771-8435.