New York State Police

NY state trooper in alleged ‘shot-for-sympathy' case resigns, pleads not guilty

Court documents indicate the troopers’ actions “were for the benefit of gaining attention or sympathy for himself,” prosecutors said

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A New York State police trooper, his father and mother pleaded not guilty Monday to charges in connection with last October’s incident where the trooper allegedly falsely claimed he was shot while trying to help a stranded driver on Long Island’s Southern State Parkway, officials said Monday.

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 with a .22-caliber rifle then stashed the gun, drove to the highway and called for help, prosecutors said Monday. He also allegedly planted shell casings at the scene on the parkway.

Mascia was walked out of police headquarters in handcuffs after being charged with official misconduct, tampering with evidence and falsifying documents. Prosecutors said in court filings Monday that Mascia shot himself in an apparent bid to gain attention and sympathy.

He said nothing as he left court without bail. 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.

Those charges are because as a convicted felon, the father is not legally allowed to own a gun, officials said. Authorities conducting a search warrant at the home in early November found weapons and about $800,000 cash. Nassau prosecutors say the money is linked to the parents and there does not appear to be a criminal connection.

The three Mascias 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 27-year-old Thomas Mascia resigned Friday and 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 NYPD 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. The trooper 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.

The then-officer's call for help touched off a massive police search that spanned several states.

State police found no evidence to support Mascia’s story. Police said there was no video footage of the episode since the trooper’s body camera was not activated at the time.

In a statement, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State said “we are saddened and sickened by this case.”

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