Local volunteer firefighter accused of stealing money from his elderly mother

HAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A local volunteer firefighter is accused of stealing money from his elderly mother.

James R. Harrington Jr., 60, of Allison Park, is charged with theft, financial exploitation of an older adult/care-dependent person and misapplication of funds, online court records show.

The Hampton Township Volunteer Fire Department President John Schwend tells Channel 11 the department is “aware of the situation with Mr. Harrington.”

“Mr. Harrington has requested to take a leave of absence from the Department as he navigates his personal matters,” Schwend said in an emailed statement.

According to the criminal complaint, a relative raised concerns to Ross Township police April 14, claiming Harrington had been stealing from his 80-year-old mother.

The relative told police they confronted Harrington about suspicious transactions on his mother’s checking account. Harrington allegedly admitted to using the account for himself, but said he was paying back the money.

Bank statements showed seven transactions to and from the mother’s account, with more money transferred out than into it, the complaint says. The difference in funds totaled $17,203.12.

The transfers with unknown accounts reportedly started in 2023.

The complaint also mentions a $1,229.24 payment to Citizens Bank from the mother’s account and an outstanding balance of $13,837.45 on her credit card. Charges to the card were made to Kuhn’s Supermarket, Shop-N-Save, Giant Eagle and other merchants.

Police say the Citizens Bank payment was for an auto loan, where the vehicle was registered to Harrington.

The various money transfers were to four separate accounts where Harrington was the account holder and had authorized use, police say. Numerous transfers were allegedly made to and from Harrington’s own account.

Purchases were made to BetRivers.com, Pennsylvania Lottery, FanDuel, BetMGM and DraftKings between January 2023 and March 2026, according to the complaint.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28.

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