Ben Parchem was almost certainly the first person in Newton County to secure a brand new iPhone 6 Plus Friday morning.

He got in line way before Friday morning, though. In fact, Ben Parchem set up his chair in front of the Verizon Wireless store on Industrial Blvd. in Covington at 5 p.m. Thursday, driving over straight from work.

“I just wanted to be sure I got it,” Parchem said.

For past iPhone launches, stores have been known to stock a limited amount of phones, causing long lines and anxious buyers. Parchem works in Covington but lives in Atlanta, he said, so he figured he would stay in Newton County overnight to avoid long metro lines.

The iPhone 6 Plus, which Parchem wanted to make sure he got, has been hailed as the biggest and thinnest iPhone yet at 5.5 inches. On Apple’s website, the iPhone 6 Plus has a starting price of $299, while the iPhone 6, which is still larger than any other previous generation at 4.7 inches, starts at $199.

When The Covington News talked to Parchem around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, he was the only person in line at the Verizon, Sprint and AT&T stores, all of which are in the same area around the Walmart Supercenter.

But neither that nor his friend leaving deterred Parchem. He packed a toothbrush, deodorant and a change of clothes so he would be able to grab his new phone at 8 a.m. Friday and head to work.

To pass the time in line, he, of course, brought his iPad to watch the Falcons game.