NFL Legend Joe Montana Thwarts Home Invader’s Attempt To Kidnap Grandchild
The woman scooped up the infant from a playpen in the former San Francisco 49ers’ California home.
Joe and Jennifer Montana, 2005 [New York Daily News Archive / Getty]
Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer, stopped a home intruder from allegedly kidnapping their 9-month-old grandchild over the weekend, officials said.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Montana, 64, told deputies a woman entered his mansion in Malibu, California, around 5 p.m. on Sept. 26, picked up the baby from a playpen and went upstairs, The New York Times reported.
The surprised couple tried to “de-escalate the situation” with the female, later identified as Sodsai Dalzell, but they got into a “tussle” and Mrs. Montana, 62, “was able to safely pry the child out of the suspect’s arms,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Dalzell, 39, allegedly fled the home, but the former San Francisco 49ers legend flagged down deputies on patrol, who located the woman and took her into custody, CBS News reported.
Neither the Montanas nor their grandchild were hurt in the altercation.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out,” Montana wrote in a Tweet on Sept. 27. “Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well.”
Dalzell faces charges of burglary and kidnapping. Her bail was set at $150,000.
