When Matthew McGonnigal’s girlfriend posted on Facebook that he was a “hero” for stopping an alleged child abduction in the parking lot of a popular family water park in Wareham last Saturday, the online praise came flooding in as hundreds of people shared the news online.

But just as quickly, the skeptics emerged — including officials from the Wareham Police Department and Water Wizz park, where the incident had reportedly taken place.

On Thursday, McGonnigal, 27, of Weymouth, was arrested and charged with unlawful wiretapping, a felony offense; false reporting of a crime; and impeding a police investigation, police said.

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