Ex-NYS trooper Thomas Mascia, who falsely said he was shot on the Southern State, sentenced to 6 months in jail

A former New York State trooper who shot himself in the leg and falsely said he had been injured in the line of duty by a masked assailant on the Southern State Parkway last year was sentenced to 6 months behind bars on Wednesday in Mineola.

Thomas J. Mascia, of West Hempstead, faked the Oct. 30, 2024, attack to get sympathy and attention from the public and a former girlfriend, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said after the disgraced ex-trooper was sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Robert G. Bogle. Mascia’s false story about being shot by a "dark-skinned" masked assailant sparked a manhunt for an alleged cop shooter that diverted manpower and resources from law enforcement in the metro area.

"Mascia shot himself in the leg, scattered shell casings at the scene, to try to grab headlines," Donnelly said. "He wanted sympathy, he wanted attention and he didn’t care what it cost to get it. Now he will have the attention of the four walls of his jail cell for the next 6 months."

Bogle told Mascia, 28, that he violated the trust of New York’s law enforcement community, his fellow troopers and the public with his self-inflicted wound and false allegations. Bogle said he had reviewed the mission statement of the New York State Police, and that the former lawman had failed to meet the high standards of the agency.

"To say that you failed to meet those standards is a drastic understatement," Bogle said. "I hope during your incarceration you will reflect on your misdeeds and abuse of official authority."

Mascia’s defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, blamed his client’s behavior on mental health issues that went untreated for years. Those problems, Lichtman said, were exacerbated by his work as a state trooper.

"He was disappointed. He let his family down, he let his community down, he let his co-workers down, the other officers," Lichtman said when asked how his client felt after he was sentenced. "He will persevere, he will get through this, and he will get the mental health treatment that he needs."

 Lichtman said he advised Mascia not to address the court before he was sentenced. "He wanted to," Lichtman said. "He wanted to actually apologize." 

Mascia pleaded guilty in May to tampering with physical evidence, third-degree falsely reporting an incident, and official misconduct. Bogle also ordered Mascia to pay a civil judgment of $289,511 to metro area law enforcement agencies for overtime expenses incurred during the search for the alleged gunman.

The ex-trooper’s parents, Thomas A. Mascia and Dorothy Mascia, were charged with possessing an illegal firearm that was found at the foot of their bed during a Nov. 2, 2024, search of their home. Bogle sentenced Thomas A. Mascia, who pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm in May, to 5 years’ probation. The judge sentenced Dorothy Mascia, who pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon last spring, to a conditional discharge.

 Mascia winked and nodded at his parents as he was led away in handcuffs by court officers. His mother, a pained look on her face, waved back at him.

The parents, also represented by Lichtman, declined to speak to reporters after leaving the courthouse. 

Mascia, a state trooper since 2019, resigned from the agency in January.

Nassau County prosecutors said Mascia said he was patrolling near exit 17 on the westbound side of the Southern State Parkway at about 11:42 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2024, when he spotted a disabled Dodge Charger with a temporary New Jersey license plate on the center median.

The driver, Mascia said, was a Black or dark-skinned man wearing a balaclava mask that covered much of his face, exposing only his eyes. The motorist opened fire, striking the leg, the ex-trooper told authorities. The New York State Police, Nassau police, the NYPD, New Jersey State Police and Newark police mobilized to track down the alleged gunman and his Dodge Charger while Mascia was transported to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of a gunshot wound. Nine .22 caliber shell casings were recovered from the scene.

 State police investigators suspected something was not right about Mascia’s story, and an investigation by the agency and the Nassau District Attorney’s office revealed that Mascia had shot himself in the leg and filed a false report.

The investigation revealed that Mascia had placed the shell casings on the ground

The .22 caliber rifle the defendant used to shoot himself was later recovered during a search warrant executed at his family home on Nov. 2, 2024, prosecutors said. He admitted in May that he shot himself in Hempstead Lake State Park, and then returned to his West Hempstead home to dump the rifle before returning to the Southern State. 

Assistant District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt, the head of Nassau District Attorney's Office's Homicide/Major Offense Bureau, told Bogle that Mascia’s actions were not spur of the moment, but planned out well in advance. Phone records indicate Mascia looked into how to shoot his leg to avoid long-lasting injuries, for example.

"This was a man who knew what he wanted to do and methodically planned it out," Donnelly said.