N.Y. State Trooper Who Said He Was Shot in the Line of Duty Turns Himself in for Staging the Incident for 'Attention'

Mar. 15, 2025

Thomas Mascia Jr. in East Meadow, New York, on Nov. 1, 2024.Photo:J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday via Getty

J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday via Getty

A New York state trooper who claimed in October 2024 that he was shot in the line of duty turned himself into New York State Police (NYSP) headquarters on Monday, Jan. 27, the NYSPannounced.Former Trooper Thomas J. Mascia Jr., 27, reported that on Wednesday, Oct. 30, around 11:45 p.m., he was shot in the leg while checking on a disabled vehicle in the median on the Southern State Parkway in North Massapequa, N.Y.

On Monday, NYSP Superintendent Steven G. James and Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced Mascia’s arrest and that he could be in prison for one to three years. He was charged with tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct. He also resigned from his State Police position.

Thomas Mascia Jr. in a wheelchair leaving Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, on Nov. 1, 2024.J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday via Getty

Mascia’s arrest, his parents, Thomas Sr., 62, and Dorothy, 55, were both charged with criminal possession of a firearm. An illegal assault-style gun and $800,000 in cash were found in their home, where Thomas Jr. also resides.

Although the firearm was not the same one used in the shooting, Thomas Sr. is a convicted felon, and it is illegal for him to own a gun. The couple also surrendered to the police.

Thomas Sr. is a former New York Police Department officer. In 1993, he was dismissed from the force after he was accused of running a cocaine ring, according toThe New York Times.

Each was released on their own bail on Monday.

New York State trooper truck.Getty

Getty

During a Monday press conference, Donnelly said that Thomas Jr. “knew the fear that it would create – and he did it anyway,” she said, adding that his intentions for the “unconscionable” deception were unclear. “It didn’t take long for everyone to uncover that his harrowing story was nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction,” Donnelly said.

Thomas Jr. was previously investigated in 2024 for mental health, but there were “no apparent red flags,” James said at the news conference, per theNew York Times. He has also been disciplined at least three times for reckless driving since he joined the force in 2019, per theTimes.

He and his parents are expected to make their next court appearance on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

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Lichtman and the N.Y. State Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Monday.

source: people.com