A former New York state trooper who claimed he was shot on a Long Island highway has resigned after triggering a massive multi-state manhunt.
An NBC News report has revealed that Thomas Mascia, 27, actually shot himself and staged the whole incident as an attack perpetrated by a minority, according to prosecutors. Mascia brought the gun home in an apparent bid for attention or sympathy.
Mascia and his parents, Dorothy and Thomas Mascia Sr., surrendered to state police in Long Island on January 27. Prosecutors say Mascia faces charges for tampering with evidence, false reporting, and official misconduct.
His parents were also charged with firearm possession after investigators found a semiautomatic rifle with illegal modifications in their bedroom. Interestingly, the gun found wasn’t even the one Mascia allegedly used in the bizarre self-shooting incident.
Prosecutors noted that Mascia’s father, a former NYPD officer and convicted felon, wasn’t allowed to own firearms.
Jeffrey Lichtman, who once represented Jimmy Henchmen, is also the Mascia family’s attorney. He said the former trooper’s actions were a cry for help stemming from long-untreated mental health issues.
“There are many less severe and less dangerous ways to garner sympathy that don’t include shooting oneself,” Lichtman commented. “This case is a tragedy caused by unseen and untreated mental health issues, and now an entire family is suffering as they usually do in such situations.”
State police said an investigation found no evidence to support Mascia’s initial story that he had pulled over to check on a disabled vehicle when an unknown gunman opened fire. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly shared during a press conference that Mascia had staged the October 30 shooting and even went to great lengths to make it look real.
According to Donnelly, Mascia dropped shell casings on the shoulder of the Southern State Parkway in West Hempstead, then drove to Hempstead Lake State Park, where he shot himself in the leg. After bringing the gun back to his parent’s home, he returned to the parkway to make the phony report.
“The evidence uncovered and the absence of evidence told us everything we needed to know,” Donnelly said. “Even though Mascia tried to hide his tracks, it didn’t take long for everyone to uncover that his harrowing story was nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction.”
The incident set off a widespread manhunt involving law enforcement agencies from New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Authorities temporarily shut down the parkway, causing chaos and alarm among the public.
Mascia’s original claim was that he had approached what he thought was a stranded motorist when a dark-skinned man in a black sedan with a New Jersey plate shot him. Investigators, however, found no evidence of such a vehicle or suspect. GPS and other technology confirmed that Mascia had actually shot himself at the state park.
Donnelly called Mascia’s actions “unconscionable.” “He knew the fear it would create. But he did it anyway,” she said. “Whether for sympathy, attention, or to ease a wounded ego, it’s unacceptable.”
The situation escalated further when law enforcement held a ceremony for Mascia after his hospital release, vowing to find the “shooter.” Donnelly emphasized the irony. “We never would, because the shooter we were looking for only existed in Mascia’s imagination.”
Mascia, who joined the state police in 2019, had been suspended without pay since November when the investigation began. He officially resigned last Friday. State Police Superintendent Steven James didn’t mince words, calling Mascia’s conduct “egregious” and a black mark on law enforcement.
“We do not tolerate such conduct, especially when a member breaks the law,” James said during the press conference.
Watch the video below for more details on this case.
