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New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia, who reported being shot in the leg on the Southern State Parkway in late October, has been charged with fabricating the incident.
Mascia, 27, was arrested Monday at the state police barracks in East Farmingdale and charged with tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident, and official misconduct, according to multiple reports. He was to be arraigned later in the day at Nassau County First District Court in Hempstead.
The charges come after investigators executed a search warrant at Mascia’s West Hempstead home, where they reportedly removed several bags of evidence. Mascia’s parents, former NYPD officer Thomas Mascia and Dorothy Mascia, were also arrested on Monday and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a firearm, News 12 Long Island reported.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly and New York State Police Superintendent Steven James are expected to discuss the case during an afternoon news conference on Monday.
Incident comes under scrutiny
On Oct. 30, Mascia reported being shot in the leg while approaching a parked car on the Southern State Parkway between exits 17 and 18. He claimed the vehicle, described as a dark-colored Dodge Charger with a New Jersey temporary license plate, fled the scene.
The report sparked an extensive search for the alleged shooter, which was canceled by authorities in the days after the initial report.
Mascia had initially been hailed as a hero, with colleagues gathering to applaud him as he was discharged from Nassau University Medical Center following surgery for his leg injury.
Top photo: Thomas Mascia (Facebook)
