NUMBERS UP Knife, shield, Ingram (inset)

Superstitious New Yorkers think the same number that kept a rookie cop from getting stabbed in the chest can help fatten their wallets.

On Thursday night, Officer Stuart Ingram of the New York City Police Department survived a potentially deadly assault after his shield deflected his assailant's knife thrust. The coverage of the story in Friday's New York Daily News included his "lucky" badge number: 5287.

Lottery players who tried late the next morning to buy those numbers for the midday Win 4 drawing were told that the combination had "sold out," meaning the $5 million liability cap on it had been reached. (Since a winning ticket is worth $5,000, no more than 1,000 tickets can be sold for a given number series.)

A spokeswoman for the New York Lottery confirmed the sellout and said 5287 also sold out in the evening drawing. "But it's still available for tomorrow's drawings," she added.

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