A New York State trooper faces charges of tampering with evidence, falsely reporting a crime, and official misconduct. This follows an investigation that revealed his claim of being shot by a driver on Long Island was not as he had described.
The trooper, Thomas Mascia, aged 27, alleged he was shot in the leg while on patrol along Long Island’s Southern State Parkway in October. However, doubts emerged about the veracity of his story after he was discharged from the hospital, as per WPXI.
Mascia was suspended without pay as the investigation continued, and the search for the alleged gunman was called off.
Authorities found discrepancies in Mascia’s account as there was no video evidence to support his claims. This was due to his body camera not being activated at the time of the alleged incident. State troopers’ body cameras are designed to activate automatically when they switch on the lights on the roof of their patrol vehicles, according to WNBC.
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.
