Megamillionaire's pal says Quezada, who won $338M jackpot, will cover everyone on the block for a month or two Powerball winner Pedro Quezada says he'll help his neighbors out with rent for the next month or two. Powerball winner Pedro Quezada is hosting a rent party — for his entire block.
A close friend of the newly minted megamillionaire said Quezada promised to temporarily cover the housing costs for residents in the Passaic, N.J., neighborhood that housed his bodega.
“He said he’s going to pay the rent for everybody here on this block for at least a month or two months,” the friend said Saturday outside Quezada’s Apple Deli Grocery.
“He’s such a good guy.” Word of Quezada’s magnanimous gesture left several of his neighbors stunned. “God bless him, and thank you,” crowed Richard Delgado, 45, after learning of the pledge.
John Koblarz’s eyes lit up when he heard Quezada had offered to cover his neighbors’ rents. But then the 78-year-old landlord came to his senses. “Oh, he can't afford to pay mine,” Koblarz said.
“Mine is $20,000. I own the building!”
Neighbors were stunned over Quezada's kind gesture. Above, Pedro hoists his $338 million check. Quezada, whose generosity is now the stuff of legend, was nowhere to be found Saturday, five days after he claimed the $338 million Powerball jackpot.
But the Dominican immigrant was still the talk of the neighborhood.
Residents said the hardworking Quezada, 45, is considered a local hero.
“He’s somebody who needs it, not like the people who had millions already and won it,” said Delgado. Cheech Rivera, 57, said he hardly ever saw Quezada or his wife because they were always too busy working to attend summer block parties. “They struggled. They are always constantly working,” said Rivera.
“They don’t really have time to get together with us.” Piles of mail were stacked outside Quezada’s home, including a letter from a Morgan Stanley adviser with a handwritten note on the envelope.
“I want to help you,” it read. Quezada put his bodega up for sale just two days after scoring the fourth-largest Powerball payout in history.
The freshly retired Quezada opted for a lump-sum payout that will provide a $152 million payday. And he’s already taken care of the $29,000 he owed in child support, according to his friend.
Officials in Passaic County said Saturday that a child-support warrant was stayed until 1:30 p.m. on Monday, when Quezada is due to appear in court.
