EXCLUSIVE: Disgraced New York Cop Jailed for Shooting Himself to Impress Ex — DA Slams 'Disgraceful' Lie That Cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Hours
State Trooper Thomas J. Mascia went above and beyond to impress his ex.
Dec. 9 2025, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Love-crazed New York State Trooper Thomas J. Mascia shot himself in the leg and then claimed he was wounded by a masked, gun-slinging motorist in a bizarre staging to impress an ex-girlfriend, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 28-year-old now former trooper was slammed with six months in jail, five years' probation, a $289,511 restitution fine, and mental health treatment after pleading guilty to tampering with physical evidence, falsely reporting an incident, and official misconduct, said Nassau County officials.
A 'Fake' Report Exposed
Prosecutors said the evidence showed Thomas J. Mascia staged the shooting he reported.
The bizarre incident began when Trooper Mascia reported he was shot in the leg during a traffic stop by a "Black or dark-skinned" man wearing a balaclava mask and driving a Dodge Charger on October 30, 2024, say prosecutors. Mascia was taken to a hospital for treatment, and investigators recovered .22-caliber bullet casings at the supposed crime scene along Southern State Parkway.
But investigators were puzzled because they found "no video evidence, eyewitnesses, or license plates matching the description provided by the former trooper," says a report. A further probe revealed the tall-tale-telling trooper staged the incident by placing the shell casings at the scene, driving to a park where he wounded himself, and then drove back to the scene to report the shooting.
Investigators say they later recovered a .22-caliber rifle during a search of his family home three days later.
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District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Mascia "meticulously calculated" the shameful incident so he could be seen "as a hero" and "impress ... an ex-girlfriend."
She blasted him as "disgraceful," saying, "His lies wasted hundreds of hours of law enforcement manpower, deeply cost taxpayers in Nassau County, and betrayed the public's trust in those in uniform."
