A New York State trooper has been charged with tampering with evidence, falsely reporting a crxime, and official misconduct after an investigation determined that his claim to have been shot by a driver on Long Island “did not occur the way it was reported.”
Thomas Mascia, 27, said he was shot in the leg while patrolling Long Island’s Southern State Parkway last October, but the story began falling apart after his release from the hospital, WPXI reported.
Mascia was suspended without pay as the investigation continued, and the search for the alleged gunman was called off.
Investigators noted that there was no video footage of the incident because Mascia’s body camera hadn’t been activated. Troopers’ body cameras automatically activate when they turn on lights on a patrol vehicle’s roof, WNBC said.
Mascia turned himself in Monday morning to face the charges, along with his parents, who were charged with criminal possession of a firearm, officials said.
Investigators said their investigation found $1 million in cash, a stockpile of steroids, and a cache of guns at the home all three Mascias shared, according to WPXI.
The trooper’s father, Thomas Mascia Sr., is a former New York Police officer who was fired in 1993 after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Mascia Jr. and Sr. and Dorothy Mascia are expected to be arraigned later on Monday.
It wasn’t the first time Trooper Mascia had been injured in an unsolved case — in 2020, he claimed to have been hit by a hit-and-run driver who was never located, WCBS reported. Investigators say they are looking into that case as well.
