NY State Police launch criminal probe into trooper who said he had been shot on duty

Days after the New York State Police lauded one of its troopers as a hero, they have launched a criminal probe into his claim that he was shot and wounded during a traffic stop on a Long Island highway.

"Based on our investigation so far, we have reason to believe that the incident did not occur the way it was reported," Maj. Stephen Udice said Wednesday, nearly a week after Trooper Thomas Mascia claimed he had been shot.

State Police previously said that at around 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 30 Mascia was shot on a shoulder of the Southern State Parkway in West Hempstead in Nassau County, about 30 miles east of Manhattan, as he approached what he believed to be a stranded motorist. Mascia had been patrolling westbound, State Police Superintendent Steven James said a week ago.

Mascia claimed that as he approached the motorist, he was shot, so he retreated behind his police vehicle and the driver fled, James said. Mascia tended to his wound, James said, and called in to report that he had been shot. He was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery for what James said was a non-life-threatening injury.

Mascia said he had been shot by a dark-skinned male in a black sedan, possibly a Dodge Charger, with a temporary New Jersey license plate. Police had asked for the public's help in locating the car, but that search has been canceled. Udice said also no one was being sought.

Now, the State Police say that Mascia, who was applauded by many troopers and others when he was released from the hospital, is the subject of a criminal and internal investigation.

"I'm very disappointed," Udice said Wednesday at a news conference, adding that "it overshadows the outstanding and great work that the members of the state police and the state troopers do."

"As you can imagine, there's a lot of emotion right now," added Udice, commander of Troop L on Long Island.

Udice said the investigation was "far from over."

The agency is also looking into Mascia's involvement in a hit-and-run that he reported in 2022, a State Police spokesman said.

This week, as part of its investigation, state police executed a warrant at the home Mascia shares with his family on Long Island. Udice said he could not elaborate on what was recovered or what evidence may exist because it could compromise the investigation. He said that he is working with the Nassau County District Attorney's office to determine whether any charges should be filed.

"We are aggressively pursuing all leads and attempting to gather all of the facts," Udice said. He said the state police had not received any tips as of Wednesday.

Udice said Mascia's mental health has been a consideration as part of the investigation.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly has said that her office, in partnership with the State Police, is investigating "certain inconsistencies" in Mascia's account of events.

Neither the State Police nor the district attorney's office would disclose what led them to doubt Mascia's story. The State Police also declined to comment on whether they believed his wound was self-inflicted.

Mascia, who became a trooper in 2019, has been suspended without pay as he was found to have violated the State Police's rules and regulations, Udice said. He has been stripped of his service weapon, police shield and his ID, as well as any off-duty weapons he had through his employment, Udice said.

Mascia's attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, who represented Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the drug lord known more commonly as El Chapo, said that he is working with the State Police and district attorney's office on its investigations.

"We're all working on this together," he said. "This is not in an adversarial position, is what I would say."