He dallied awhile before coming forward, but Stephen Kirwan, of the hamlet of Purling in the town of Cairo, has finally claimed that $122 million Powerball ticket that everyone was wondering about last month.
Kirwan's identity was revealed at a press conference this afternoon, as were the fairty-tale details of his life. He's a former New York City firefighter whose home in Purling burned down last year. The Associated Press has the quick version of Kirwan's story:
A year ago this month, the Kirwans' home on the northern edge of the Catskills mountains was destroyed by fire. Stephen Kirwan spent 24 years as a firefighter in the Bronx before moving upstate, where he worked another 25 years at a skin care products maker in Ulster County. He said his plans for his lump-sum, after-taxes payment of $40.4 million include treating his wife and children to a cruise.
The Daily Freeman and the Daily Mail have more.