A former New York state trooper received a six-month jail sentence on Wednesday after fabricating a story about being shot by an unknown assailant. Instead, he had accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Thomas Mascia, who had served as a trooper since 2019, admitted guilt in May to charges of falsely reporting an incident, tampering with physical evidence, and official misconduct. Following his suspension without pay amid a criminal investigation by state police, Mascia resigned from his position in January.
Beyond the jail term, the Nassau County court in Mineola imposed a five-year probation period on Mascia. He also must undergo mental health treatment and pay nearly $290,000 in restitution.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly condemned Mascia’s actions as “disgraceful,” stating that they squandered police resources and triggered a days-long manhunt.
Thomas Mascia, the ex-state trooper, was photographed leaving Nassau County court in Mineola, New York, on May 21, 2025. (AP)
“His deceit consumed hundreds of hours of law enforcement work, incurred significant costs for Nassau County taxpayers, and violated the public trust in our uniformed officers,” Donnelly remarked following the court’s decision.
Mascia reported that he was shot in the leg on Oct. 30, 2024, by a driver parked on the shoulder of the Southern State Parkway on Long Island, about a mile from the trooper’s home. He described the fictitious driver as a “dark-skinned” man who drove away in a black sedan with temporary New Jersey plates heading toward New York City.
He had shot himself at Hempstead Lake State Park before stashing the .22-caliber rifle and driving to the highway to call for help.
Prosecutors said Mascia also planted shell casings at the scene where he shot himself.
Former New York State Trooper, Thomas Mascia, center, leaves Nassau County District Court after his arraignment, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Hempstead, New York. (Howard Schnapp for Newsday via AP)
There was no video footage of the incident because Mascia’s body camera was not activated at the time.
Mascia is “mortified by his actions and happy to finally get on with his life,” lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman, who represents the former trooper and his parents, said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors said Mascia shot himself in an apparent attempt to receive attention and sympathy.
Lichtman previously said Mascia was suffering from an undiagnosed mental health problem at the time of the shooting and that the former trooper has been undergoing treatment.
“There are many less severe and less dangerous ways to garner sympathy that don’t include shooting oneself,” he said in January. “And now an entire family is suffering for it as they usually do in such situations.”
A New York State Police logo is shown on a state police officer’s car near Dannemora, New York, Friday, June 12, 2015. (AP)
Mascia’s parents, Dorothy and Thomas, were also each charged with criminal possession of a firearm after the gun used in the shooting was found in their West Hempstead bedroom during a search of the home.
The disgraced trooper’s father was sentenced to five years of probation on Wednesday while his mother was given a one-year conditional discharge.
Mascia’s father was dismissed from the New York Police Department in 1993 after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges.
