A New York State Police trooper whose alleged shooting sparked a manhunt last fall pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he falsified the incident, hours after turning himself in to authorities.
He also resigned, New York State Police Superintendent Steven James said at a press conference detailing the charges levied against Thomas Mascia. The former trooper had been suspended without pay since the incident.
Mascia was charged with tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting a crime and official misconduct. His parents are being charged with criminal possession of a firearm. All three turned themselves in to New York State Police in Farmingdale on Monday morning.
Mascia, 27, had been under scrutiny since claiming in October that he had been shot in the leg by a suspect on Long Island’s Southern State Parkway in West Hempstead. Mascia had told investigators that he’d stopped to help an apparently stranded motorist, who then opened fire.
But a number of inconsistencies jumped out within hours, Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly told reporters. Though nine shell casings were found, there were no projectiles. There were no tire marks or other indications of a vehicle at the scene. In addition, she said, Mascia did not flag down a vehicle for help. Furthermore, Donnelly said there were no reports of shots fired, even though the incident occurred on a busy highway, and there was no record of a motorist stopping to help him.
Ultimately, a GPS trace of his vehicle showed him at a local park, where he allegedly shot himself, she said.
“The evidence uncovered and the absence of evidence told us everything we needed to know,” Donnelly said. “His harrowing story was nothing more than an elaborate work of fiction.”
Mascia also betrayed his fellow officers, the officials said, wasting resources, pulling law enforcement away from actual emergencies, and putting people at risk. They praised investigators for not flinching once they realized they had to suspect one of their own.
“Most of all, he failed his brothers and sisters in law enforcement, and he failed his oath,” Donnelly said.
“In a matter of hours the story began to unravel,” James said. “They demonstrated their professionalism, they remained focused and they established the facts.”
Of Mascia, he added, “I have gladly accepted his resignation, which was effective Jan. 24. He is no longer a trooper.”
A motive had not been determined, they said.
The alleged incident sparked a manhunt and generated $15,000 in offered reward money. Less than a week later, after being released from the hospital to cheers from his fellow officers, Mascia was the subject of an investigation and suspended without pay as police officials said the incident “did not occur the way it was reported.”
A search of the home the trooper shared with his parents, Thomas and Dorothy Mascia, yielded a stash of guns, steroids and $1 million. Thomas Mascia Sr. cannot legally own a firearm because of a previous felony conviction, Donnelly noted.
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