McLean Man Wins $107M in VA Lottery After Buying Ticket in Herndon

• This story has been updated with videos.

Brian McCarthy's life changed when he decided to stop at the on Elden Street in Herndon when he was stopping to get cash from an ATM.

After getting cash, the 25-year-old McLean resident saw the Virginia Lottery ticket machine next to the ATM and decided to spend a little money on lottery tickets, knowing the jackpot had hit more than $100 million.

The next day he was looking at Facebook on his phone when he saw a headline posted by WTOP that a , he said. Once he saw that the ticket was sold at the same store he purchased one from he got out his wallet to dig for the ticket.

During a press conference on Wednesday, McCarthy said most of his family was away on vacation at the time and he was at home alone with his grandmother. When he told her about his winning ticket she responded with, "That's wonderful. You deserve it," and made him a grilled cheese sandwich, he said. 

Rather than take the jackpot in 26 annual payments, McCarthy chose to take the cash option of $68.4 million. He said he was quiet about the win for three weeks after finding out, and soon left his job with a soft drink company. He said his splurge so far has been purchasing a custom BMW M3, and a golf trip to Ireland.

During the press conference McCarthy donated $25,000 each to two Herndon organizations, including Herndon-Reston FISH and the Herndon Optimist Club. He said, growing up in Herndon, he wanted to give back to the community.

The Giant grocery store that sold the ticket was awarded $50,000 by the Virginia Lottery. The $107 million jackpot is the third largest prize in Virginia Lottery history.