The New York state trooper who allegedly lied about getting shot during a Long Island traffic stop may have been looking for sympathy or even to win the attention of an “unrequited love,” officials said.

Thomas Mascia, 27, was arraigned alongside his parents Monday in Hempstead as new details were revealed in his bizarre scheme — including that he sprinkled bullet casings on the Southern State Parkway, then fired at his own leg on Oct. 30.

“It’s speculation,” State Police Superintendent Steven James told reporters of Mascia’s alleged motivation.

“We could surmise many instances, whether he sought to get a disability retirement, whether he sought to seek the attention of unrequited love, those are issues on the fringes that have come to our attention, but nothing definitive. We can’t make a firm decision.”

Mascia resigned from his post as a state trooper effective Jan. 24, James said.

He turned himself in at State Police barracks in East Farmingdale early Monday, while his parents turned themselves in on separate firearm charges. The now-former cop is facing up to three years in prison on charges including tampering with evidence, falsely reporting an incident and official misconduct.

Assistant Nassau County District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt said at his arraignment in district court that Mascia dropped a handful of .22-caliber shell casings on the parkway before he drove home and dropped off the gun.

He then allegedly drove back to the parkway and called for backup.

Mascia’s false claims prompted a massive manhunt, with authorities searching for a Dodge Charger with New Jersey temporary plates that only existed as a “figment of the defendant’s imagination,” Rosenblatt said. 

In a press conference Monday, Nassau County District Attorney Ann Donnelly also slammed Mascia for the stunt that “wasted extraordinary resources across several police departments” and appeared to be a ploy for sympathy.

“He knew the seriousness of what he was about to do,” Donnelly said. “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 sympathy, attention, to ease a wounded ego, what he did is unconscionable.”

Donnelly also noted that Mascia’s body camera did “not actually deploy right away” during the incident and when it did, it “looked like it was being covered up,” she said. 

Mascia’s father, former NYPD officer Thomas Mascia Sr., and his mother, Dorothy Mascia, were charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

The firearm charges against the parents are separate from the ones against Mascia — with the firearm in question being criminal due to “illegal characteristics” and because Mascia Sr. is a convicted felon. 

Authorities also located the .22-caliber gun Mascia Jr. used to shoot himself in his parents’ home.

It is believed that Mascia Sr. is a former partner of NYPD Officer Michael Dowd — one of the most corrupt officers in the Big Apple’s history, multiple sources said.

The pair were both busted in the 1990s for running a cocaine ring linking Brooklyn to Suffolk County, multiple police sources previously told The Post.

All three Mascias were released on their own recognizance Monday. They are due back in court on Feb. 5. 

Attorney Jeffrey Einhorn, who was representing the entire family, did not comment while leaving the courthouse. 

The younger Mascia had been suspended without pay since November after police launched an internal review into his claims of getting shot during a traffic stop in West Hempstead. 

After launching its review, police halted their search for the purported gunman for information about whom they were offering a $10,000 reward.

Whatever the younger Mascia’s motivation, authorities said, it was harmful to the larger police community.

“This is an egregious act that occurred that not only triggered a massive response throughout the community, but it harmed the reputation of law enforcement in general,” James told reporters.

“We will not let one individual’s actions overshadow the commitment and dedication of the thousands of troopers in law enforcement,” he said.