Westfield-suspect.jpg

This man is innocent.

(Westfield Police Department)

WESTFIELD - The Westfield Detective Bureau has admitted to using a picture of an "innocent shopper" in a social media press release regarding a criminal suspect.

On Wednesday, Westfield detectives announced that the man pictured above was suspected of using a stolen credit card to buy an electrical snow blower at a local Walmart.

However, the pictured used Wednesday is apparently of the wrong man, according to police.

"We would like to apologize to the male party depicted in the pictures from the Walmart stolen credit card incident and our followers," reads a statement from the Bureau's Facebook page.

"There was a mix-up in the information we received about the transaction from Walmart and the pictures of the male party we posted as the suspect, was actually an innocent shopper," the statement continues.

According to the new press release regarding the incident, Westfield detectives say the stolen credit card had the same last four numbers as the man captured in the published surveillance images.

Police also said that the man who was used in the press release bought the same item at roughly the same time on the same day as the suspect who used the stolen credit card.

"We are working on getting the correct information," the statement concludes.