By Chelsia Rose Marcius and Natalie Chandler A Long Island state trooper hailed as a hero last fall was charged on Monday with staging a shooting that set off a manhunt for a nonexistent suspect ...

He made the claim around 11:45 p.m. that night, adding that the shooting happened while he was checking on a disabled vehicle in the median on the Southern State Parkway westbound. Mascia was ...

“He knew the depth and breadth of the rapid response that comes with the report of an officer shooting. He knew the fear that it would create, but he did it anyway, whether for ...

Vande Steeg was placed on critical incident leave following the shooting. The BCA says he had one year of law enforcement experience at the time of the confrontation.

Thomas Mascia is accused of staging the shooting for "attention or sympathy." A New York state trooper who claimed to have been shot in the line of duty in October is now facing criminal charges ...