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RALEIGH – Johnny Zinnerman of Hoffman bought a $5 scratch-off Thursday morning, drove home, started scratching the ticket outside, and began celebrating when he uncovered a $250,000 win.

“I jumped up and threw my hands in the air,” Zinnerman said.

He said at that exact moment his son drove up in his car and witnessed his celebratory moment.

“He said he thought I was having a heart attack or something,” Zinnerman laughed.

Zinnerman, 58, bought his 20X The Cash ticket from the Hoffman Mini Mart on U.S. 1 in Hoffman.

“I kept looking at it the rest of the afternoon to make sure it was real,” he said. “I’m just grateful and thankful.”

Zinnerman collected his prize at lottery headquarters Friday and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $178,126.

He said he wants to use his winnings to pay some bills and do some home repairs. He also said he has 14 grandchildren and he plans to use the money to help take care of them.

The 20X The Cash game debuted in February with eight top prizes of $250,000. Five $250,000 prizes remain to be claimed.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how $3.2 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Richmond County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.