Alleged welfare fraud leads to SWAT team raid in Somerton

SOMERTON (WPVI) -- SWAT teams raided a home in Philadelphia's Somerton section and it was all reportedly related to a case of welfare fraud in New Jersey.

It happened Sunday afternoon in the 800 block of Edison Avenue.

Police were assisting the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, who was serving a warrant on the occupant of the rental home.

They eventually broke down the front door, gaining entrance to the home and made at least one arrest.

A witness, who did not want to be identified, spoke to Action News.

"All of a sudden I saw a couple vans and all, maybe about 20 or 15 SWAT team came out and they ran up the driveway. I parked to the side and all of a sudden they said, 'Open the door,' and there was nothing - and they hit it with the battering ram, they went in and they proceeded to come out within five or ten minutes," he said.

Police sources say the case involves hundreds of thousands of dollars in welfare fraud.

That's also what SWAT team members told the witness.

"Insurance fraud and welfare fraud - that's what I heard," he said.

Action News reached out to relatives of the woman arrested but they declined to comment.

A spokesperson was the New Jersey Attorney General has not released any details on the raid.