East Meadow, N.Y..: New York State Trooper Thomas Mascia in a wheelchair leaving Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, on Nov. 1, 2024. Mascia was shot on the Southern State Parkway while trying to assist an apparent stranded motorist. (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday via Getty Images)
New York State Police are investigating a state trooper who triggered a manhunt when he said a gunman shot him in the leg and fled near Malverne last week, authorities said.
Investigators are executing a search warrant at Trooper Thomas Mascia’s home and have canceled an alert that authorities look for a “dark-skinned man” driving a black Dodge Charger with temporary New Jersey license plates, police said in a statement. The trooper has been suspended without pay.
“The New York State Police is conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting involving Trooper Thomas Mascia,” police said in a brief statement.
Authorities had said Mascia reported being shot at 11:45 p.m. Oct. 30 near exit 17 on the Southern State Parkway. A $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case was issued after he was treated and released from Nassau University Medical Center, where troopers had lined up to support him upon his release.
The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents 7,000 active and retired troopers statewide, had helped secure an additional $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case on top of the $5,000 Suffolk County Crime Stoppers’ reward.
Troopers PBA President Charles W. Murphy had said “Trooper Mascia embodies the qualities of selfless service and resilience that all PBA members bring to their work every day” and called for the swift arrest of the suspect.
The union issued a new statement after the latest development.
“We are monitoring this situation as it develops,” the union said. “As we are not involved in the ongoing investigation, we would refer you to State Police for additional comment.”