A disgraced New York State trooper who deliberately shot himself during a Long Island traffic stop and then lied about it — allegedly to impress a woman — secured a sweet plea deal of six months behind bars.
Thomas Mascia, 27, dodged a three-year prison sentence when he admitted Wednesday in Nassau County court to falsely claiming an armed driver shot him in the leg during a late-night traffic stop along the Southern State Parkway in West Hempstead on Oct. 30, 2024.
The bizarre incident prompted a regionwide manhunt for the gunman — until investigators realized the now-former trooper sprinkled bullet casings along the highway before turning the gun on himself.
“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,” Nassau District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said in a statement.
“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. Mascia’s self-motivated ego boost cost several departments time and resources and put communities and law enforcement officers in fear for no reason.”
Prosecutors said the fraudster may have also staged the shooting for sympathy or even to win the attention of an “unrequited love.”
Mascia, who resigned on Jan. 24, pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, official misconduct and falsifying documents.
He will be handed his months-long sentence on Aug. 20.
The ex-cop will also be required to undergo mental health treatment, as part of his probation, and pay $289,000 in restitution for the overtime costs spent during the three-day search for the non-existent assailant.
“The actions of Thomas Mascia were a deliberate betrayal of the public’s trust,” State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said.
“His false report not only endangered the safety of responding officers and the public but also undermined the credibility of every Trooper who serves with honor and integrity.”
Mascia’s parents, Dorothy and Thomas, also copped to an unrelated misdemeanor weapons charge.
His father, Thomas, is believed to be the former partner of disgraced former NYPD Officer Michael Dowd – one of the most corrupt cops in the Big Apple’s history, multiple sources said.
The pair were both busted in the 1990s for running a cocaine ring linking Brooklyn to Suffolk County, multiple police sources previously told The Post.
