Powerball 2019 Winner: Wisconsin Man Who Won $768.4 Million Jackpot Comes Forward

The Wisconsin man who won the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot in March came forward on Tuesday.

Manuel Franco, 24, of the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, officially identified himself as the winner of the huge Powerball jackpot at a press conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

"It was amazing, my heart started racing, blood pumping," Franco said. "I screamed for about 5 or 10 minutes."

He said it felt like a dream and that his dad cried a lot.

Franco had stopped at a Speedway convenience store in New Berlin, Wisconsin, about 15 miles outside of Milwaukee, and purchased about $10 worth of Quick Pick tickets.

He said he was feeling lucky.

Franco revealed he didn’t initially know he had won the March 27 Powerball jackpot.

"I went to work not knowing any better to check… I left work that day, I remember hearing that day 'Powerball winner Wisconsin,'" he said.

When he got home, he checked the winning numbers and discovered he had won the $768.4 million jackpot, the third-highest jackpot. He celebrated with his girlfriend and family before quitting his job two days later.

Under Wisconsin law, lottery winners cannot remain anonymous. Franco disclosed minimal details about his life.

Franco decided to take the lump sum value of $477 million which, after taxes, comes out to $326 million. Wisconsin will receive over $36 million in taxes from the winnings.

"I'm not sure what the next chapter is gonna bring for my life, but I have been setting up the best legal team," Franco said.