Teen wins $250K on lotto during road trip to see Zach Bryan

He sure was lucky enough.

A California teen won $250,000 on a scratch-off this week — just hours after he celebrated his 18th birthday with his mother at a Zach Bryan concert.

AJ Tamraz and his mother, Danielle Magalen, were traveling hundreds of miles home from the country star’s concert in Sacramento Sunday when the pair decided to break up their 14-hour road trip and play the lotto at a Santa Nella truck stop, KTLA reported. 

While the duo initially only planned on using the bathroom and stocking up on water and snacks before getting back on the road, Magalen was struck by a new holiday-themed Peppermint Payout Scratcher. 


AJ Tamraz, 18, won the lotto prize playing a Peppermint Payout Scratcher.
AJ Tamraz, 18, won the lotto prize playing a Peppermint Payout Scratcher. AJ Tamraz

“She comes back out the car and gives me a $20 bill, so I walk back in and go to the vending machine,” Tamraz told the outlet, adding how his first three tickets were duds until luck finally struck. 

“First, I scratched away and saw the number 50, then it became $250, and I got excited. Then I saw a comma and even more zeroes.” 

The teen winner, who became legally old enough to play the lotto in October, said his mother immediately cried — as the staggering amount of money left them both in shock.


The holiday-themed lotto ticket.
The holiday-themed lotto ticket. California Lottery

The pair traversed the heavy holiday traffic and made it home to Laguna Nigel, where they visited the California Lottery district office in Costa Mesa and were awarded the oversized ceremonial check, the outlet reported. 

Tamraz now plans on using the money to pay off his mother’s car loan, credit cards and six months of rent. 

“She gets to breathe, and I get to help her,” he said.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of.”

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