Ex-NY trooper sentenced for shooting himself, falsely accusing unknown gunman
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A former New York state trooper was sentenced to six months in prison Wednesday for shooting himself in the leg and falsely claiming he was wounded by an unidentified gunman.
Thomas Mascia pleaded guilty in May to falsely reporting an incident, tampering with physical evidence and official misconduct. Mascia, who had been a trooper since 2019, resigned in January after being suspended without pay while state police investigated the shooting.
In addition to his prison sentence, Mascia was given five years of probation and ordered to receive mental health treatment and pay nearly $290,000 in restitution in Nassau County court in Mineola.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly criticized Mascia for his “disgraceful” actions that wasted police resources, including a manhunt that lasted several days.
FORMER NY STATE TROOPER SHOT HIMSELF, FALSE CLAIMS HE WAS WOUNDED BY AN UNKNOWN GUNMAN: PROSECUTORS
Former New York state trooper Thomas Mascia leaves Nassau County court in Mineola, New York, on May 21, 2025. (AP)
“His lies wasted hundreds of hours of law enforcement manpower, caused great harm to taxpayers in Nassau County, and betrayed the public’s trust in those in uniform,” Donnelly said in a statement after the sentencing. he said.
Mascia was shot in the leg on Oct. 30, 2024, police said, by a driver who parked on the shoulder of the Southern State Parkway on Long Island, about a mile from his home. He described the fictitious driver as a “dark-skinned” man driving toward New York City in a black sedan with temporary New Jersey license plates.
He had shot himself at Hempstead Lake State Park before hiding his .22-caliber rifle and driving onto the highway to call for help.
Prosecutors said Mascia also placed a bullet casing where he shot himself.
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Former New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia (center) leaves Nassau County District Court following his arraignment on Monday, January 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 active at the time.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Jeffrey Lichtman, an attorney representing the veteran and his family, said Mascia was “ashamed of his actions and happy to finally move on with his life.”
Prosecutors said Mascia shot himself to garner attention and sympathy.
Lichtman has previously said Mascia was suffering from an undiagnosed mental health issue at the time of the shooting and that the former soldier was receiving treatment.
“There are many less serious and less dangerous ways to gain sympathy other than shooting yourself,” he said in January. “And now, as is often the case in these types of situations, a whole family is suffering.”
A New York State Police logo is displayed on a state police officer’s car near Dannemora, New York, Friday, June 12, 2015. (AP)
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Mascia’s parents, Dorothy and Thomas, were also charged with 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 soldier’s father was sentenced to five years of probation on Wednesday, while his mother was given one year of parole.
Mascia’s father was dismissed from the New York Police Department in 1993 after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
