Thomas Mascia and his parents surrendered themselves early Monday morning at the state police barracks in East Farmingdale. Mascia is facing charges of official misconduct, tampering with evidence, and falsifying documents, according to authorities. His parents, Dorothy and Thomas, have each been charged with criminal possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors say that back on October 30, the trooper pulled on the shoulder of the Southern State Parkway near Hempstead and dumped a handful 22 caliber shells. Prosecutors say he then drove to Hempstead Lake State Park, shot himself, and then drove back. He reported being shot by a masked man in a dark-colored charger with New Jersey plates. The gun used in the shooting was the same one found in his parents' bedroom in West Hempstead where he also lives, officials say.
The New York State trooper who claimed he was shot during a Long Island traffic stop was arraigned Monday alongside his parents — with the judge stating the disgraced cop dropped a handful of shell casings to stage the shooting before firing at his own leg. Thomas Mascia, 27, whose claim that he was shot and wounded by a driver on the Southern State Parkway last October prompted a criminal probe, turned himself in to state police barracks in East Farmingdale on Monday, New York State police said. He faces charges including tampering with evidence, a felony, as well as falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct, both misdemeanors.
