Ex-Trooper Who Shot Himself On SSP Pleads Guilty: DA

MINEOLA, NY — The former state trooper who claimed in shot by someone on the Southern State Parkway and later recanted the story, claiming he shot himself, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to several charges, prosecutors said.

Thomas Mascia, a trooper since 2019, resigned in January.

Mascia, 27, of West Hempstead, pleaded guilty to filing a false report, official misconduct and tampering with evidence after police said he shot himself and then lied about it, Nassau D.A. Anne Donnelly said.

“Thomas Mascia’s pathetic stunt put the public on edge and sent law enforcement in the tri-state area reeling, looking for a dangerous assailant who supposedly opened fire at an officer on a busy highway. The reality, however, was that the entire incident was the work of Mascia alone and the phantom motorist just another lie he told to cover his tracks,” Donnelly said. “Mascia’s self-motivated ego boost cost several departments time and resources and put communities and law enforcement officers in fear for no reason. Now, he will face the consequences for his fabrications and for tarnishing the oath he took to serve and protect New Yorkers.”

In January, Donnelly and state police announced the Mascia's arrest following an investigation into the October incident.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Robert G. Bogle accepted Mascia's guilty plea. Sentencing is set for August 20.

He is expected to receive to six months in jail and five years’ probation, the D.A.'s office said.

As a condition of his probation, Mascia will have to undergo mental health treatment. A civil judgement will also be ordered in the amount of $289,511.