Former NY trooper sentenced for falsely accusing unknown gunman of shooting himself

A Former New York State Trooper He was sentenced to six months in prison on Wednesday after being shot in the leg and falsely claiming to have been wounded by an unidentified gunman.

Thomas Macia pleaded guilty in May to falsely reporting an incident, tampering with physical evidence and official misconduct. Massiah, a trooper since 2019, resigned in January after being suspended without pay while state police conducted a criminal investigation into the shooting.

In addition to the prison time, Macia was given five years of probation and ordered to undergo mental health treatment and about $290,000 in restitution in Nassau County Court in Mineola.

Nassau County District Attorney Ann Donnelly criticized Macia’s “disgraceful” actions as a waste of police resources. The search lasted for several days.

Former NY state trooper shot himself, falsely claimed wounded by unknown gunman: prosecutors

Former New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia leaves the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola, New York on May 21, 2025. (AP)

“His lies wasted hundreds of hours of law enforcement manpower, cost the taxpayers of Nassau County dearly, and betrayed the trust of those in uniform,” Donnelly said in a statement after the sentencing.

Macia reported that on October 30, 2024, he was shot in the leg by a driver standing on the shoulder of the Southern State Parkway on Long Island, about a mile from the trooper’s home. He described the fictitious driver as a “dark-skinned” man who fled in a black sedan with temporary New Jersey plates headed for New York City.

He shot himself in Hempstead Lake State Park before hiding a .22-caliber rifle and driving onto the highway to call for help.

Masia also planted a shell casing in the area where he shot himself, prosecutors said.

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Former New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia, center, leaves Nassau County District Court, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Hempstead, New York. (Howard Schnapp for Newsday via AP)

There was no video footage of the incident as Macia’s body camera was not active at the time.

Jeffrey Lichtman, an attorney representing the ex-soldier and his parents, said in a statement to The Associated Press that Macia “is mortified by his actions and glad to finally be living his life.”

Prosecutors said Macia shot himself in an apparent attempt to gain attention and sympathy.

Lichtman previously said Macia was suffering from an undiagnosed illness mental health problems At the time of the shooting and the ex-serviceman is undergoing treatment.

“There are many less serious and less dangerous ways to get sympathy that don’t involve shooting yourself,” he said in January. “And now a whole family is suffering as they usually do in such situations.”

The New York State Police logo is shown on a state police officer’s car near Dannemora, New York, on Friday, June 12, 2015. (AP)

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Masia’s parents, Dorothy and Thomas, were also charged with possession of a firearm after the gun used in the shooting was found in their West Hempstead bedroom during a search of the home.

The disgraced soldier’s father was sentenced to five years’ probation on Wednesday while his mother was given a one-year conditional discharge.

Masia’s father was fired from the New York Police Department in 1993 after being convicted of cocaine distribution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.