DA: Former NY State Trooper Staged His Own Shooting And Blamed Imaginary ‘Black Or Dark Skinned Man’

Former NYS Trooper Thomas Mascia in custody outside New York State Police Troop L Headquarters in Farmingdale, New York, on January 27, 2025. | Source: Newsday LLC / Getty

If I’ve said it a thousand times before, I haven’t said it enough: There is never a reason to take a cop’s word at face value. Whether we’re talking about officers accused of misconduct or police brutality or corrupt cops who hide their criminal activity behind their badges, police officers have the same incentive to lie that civilians have — but civilians aren’t backed by an entire justice system conditioned to give us the benefit of the doubt.

A lot of cops lie and a lot of lying cops are racist, and, apparently, if they can’t find a Black civilian to pin a crime on, they’ll invent one.

MORE: No Parole: White Woman Who Killed Her Kids And Blamed Fictional Black Man Is Denied Freedom

Meet New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia.

Last October, Mascia, 27, reported that he was shot in the line of duty by a “Black or dark-skinned Hispanic male,” according to a police report.  On Monday, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office told ABC News that Mascia surrendered himself to police and stands accused of staging the shooting and conjuring an imaginary Black man to blame for it.

New York State trooper Thomas Mascia gets a kiss from his father, Thomas, as he leaves in a wheelchair from Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, on Nov. 1, 2024. | Source: Newsday LLC / Getty

“He knew the fear that it would create, and he did it anyway,” Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly said during a press conference Monday, calling Mascia’s alleged actions “unconscionable.” Donnelly said Mascia could face one to three years in prison if convicted on charges of official misconduct, falsely reporting a crime and tampering with evidence.

From ABC:

Police matched the gun used in the shooting to one owned by Mascia, officials sad. It was not his service weapon, officials said. There was also “close to $800,000” found at the family’s home, Donnelly said.

All three were released on their own recognizance Monday.

Mascia was on duty Oct. 30 in Hempstead when he “initiated a radio transmission for shots fired,” according to a felony complaint obtained by ABC News.

He then “claimed he was shot by the driver of a black Dodger Charger described as either a Black or dark-skinned Hispanic male.”

The complaint alleges Mascia actually “staged the scene of the shooting,” placing shell casings on the ground hours earlier.

He then allegedly “shot himself in the leg in another location before returning to the staged location” on the Southern State Parkway.

State police temporarily shut down the section of the parkway where Mascia claimed the incident occurred “in an effort to locate the non-existent shooters, causing alarm and inconvenience to the public,” the complaint states.

Here’s a question: What if police officers searching for “non-existent shooters” described as Black and male had shot and killed a Black man they believed was a suspect? Would Mascia have been charged in the killing? I ask because there have been a number of stories involving accused criminals being charged with murder because a cop shot an innocent bystander while trying to get to their suspect. So, does that same logic apply to a cop whose lie put a Black man in danger he wouldn’t have been in otherwise? Would Mascia still only be looking at one to three years? (Hint: These are mostly rhetorical questions.)

The complaint accuses Mascia of staging the shooting “for the benefit of gaining attention or sympathy for himself,” but it’s arguable that what he really appeared to be doing by shooting himself (allegedly) is attempting to cover up a crime he committed. It will be interesting to get an update on what was going on with that “close to $800,00” officers found in Marcia’s family home.

Speaking of his family, if Marcia is a corrupt cop, he’s an apple that didn’t fall far from his tree.

More from ABC:

Mascia’s parents, Dorothy and Thomas, also surrendered to police on Monday on charges of criminal possession of a firearm, the district attorney’s office said. The firearm was not the same one used in the shooting, but Mascia’s father is a convicted felon, making it illegal for him to own a gun, Donnelly said.

Mascia’s father, a former New York Police Department officer, was dismissed from the force in 1993 over accusations of running a cocaine ring, according to The New York Times.

Be safe out there, folks. Don’t take cops at face value and don’t assume they’re all there for your protection.

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