The New York state trooper who allegedly lied about getting shot during a Long Island traffic stop may have been looking for sympathy or even to win the attention of an “unrequited love,” officials said.
Thomas Mascia, 27, was arraigned alongside his parents Monday in Hempstead as new details were revealed in his bizarre scheme — including that he sprinkled bullet casings on the Southern State Parkway, then fired at his own leg on Oct. 30.
“It’s speculation,” State Police Superintendent Steven James told reporters of Mascia’s alleged motivation.
“We could surmise many instances, whether he sought to get a disability retirement, whether he sought to seek the attention of unrequited love, those are issues on the fringes that have come to our attention, but nothing definitive. We can’t make a firm decision.”
Mascia resigned from his post as a state trooper effective Jan. 24, James said.
He turned himself in at State Police barracks in East Farmingdale early Monday, while his parents turned themselves in on separate firearm charges. The now-former cop is facing up to three years in prison on charges including tampering with evidence, falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct.
Assistant Nassau County District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt said at his arraignment in district court that Mascia dropped a handful of .22-caliber shell casings on the parkway before he drove home and dropped off the gun.
He then allegedly drove back to the parkway and called for backup.
Mascia...
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