Prosecutors say ex-trooper shot himself then falsely claimed he’d been wounded by an unknown gunman
Prosecutors say ex-trooper shot himself then falsely claimed he’d been wounded by an unknown gunman
Former New York State Trooper, Thomas Mascia, center, leaves Nassau County District Court after his arraignment, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Hempstead, N.Y. Mascia, whose alleged shooting sparked a manhunt last fall pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he falsified the incident, hours after turning himself in to authorities.( Howard Schnapp for Newsday via AP)
A New York State Police logo is shown on a state police officer’s car near Dannemora, N.Y., Friday, June 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Former New York State Trooper, Thomas Mascia, center, leaves Nassau County District Court after his arraignment, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Hempstead, N.Y. Mascia, whose alleged shooting sparked a manhunt last fall pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he falsified the incident, hours after turning himself in to authorities.( Howard Schnapp for Newsday via AP)
Former New York State Trooper, Thomas Mascia, center, leaves Nassau County District Court after his arraignment, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 in Hempstead, N.Y. Mascia, whose alleged shooting sparked a manhunt last fall pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he falsified the incident, hours after turning himself in to authorities.( Howard Schnapp for Newsday via AP)
A New York State Police logo is shown on a state police officer’s car near Dannemora, N.Y., Friday, June 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
A New York State Police logo is shown on a state police officer’s car near Dannemora, N.Y., Friday, June 12, 2015. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — A former New York state trooper has been arrested and charged after prosecutors say he shot himself in the leg and then falsely claimed he was wounded by an unknown gunman on a Long Island highway last year.
Thomas Mascia shot himself at Hempstead Lake State Park then stashed the gun, drove to the highway and called for help, prosecutors said Monday. He also allegedly planted shell casings at the scene.
Mascia was charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and falsifying documents.
His parents, Dorothy and Thomas, were also each charged with criminal possession of a firearm as the .22- caliber gun was discovered in their West Hempstead bedroom, according to prosecutors.
The three pleaded not guilty and were released until their next court date on Feb. 5.
Prosecutors said in court filings Monday that Mascia shot himself in an apparent bid to gain attention and sympathy.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly after the hearing called the former officer’s actions an “unconscionable” deception.
“He knew the fear that it would create, and he did it anyway,” she said.
Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for the family, said the 27-year-old Mascia, who resigned Friday, has been suffering from “untreated mental health issues” for years.
“There are many less severe and less dangerous ways to garner sympathy that don’t include shooting oneself,” he said. “And now an entire family is suffering for it as they usually do in such situations.”
The elder Mascia was dismissed from the New York Police Department in 1993 after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges.
His son, who became a trooper in 2019, was suspended without pay in November after state police launched a criminal probe into the shooting.
Mascia claimed he was shot in the leg on Oct. 30 by the driver of a black sedan that had been parked on the left-hand shoulder of the Southern State Parkway, about a mile from his home.
He claimed the driver fled in the direction of New York City in a car with temporary New Jersey registration, prompting authorities to launch a manhunt that lasted days.
Police said there was no video footage of the episode since the trooper’s body camera was not activated at the time.