Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer Montana, stepped in to prevent their 9-month-old grandchild from being kidnapped.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, 64, told Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials that his grandchild was sleeping in a playpen on Saturday, September 26, when a woman entered their Malibu home and grabbed the young one, according to the Associated Press. The couple attempted to “de-escalate the situation” by confronting the stranger and asking to have their grandchild back. However, a “tussle” subsequently ensued between the NFL legend and the intruder.
“Mrs. Montana was able to safely pry the child out of the suspect’s arms,” a statement from the sheriff’s office read, per CNN.
Authorities later identified the attempted kidnapper as Sodsai Dalzell. She fled the scene but was later arrested. She is facing kidnapping and burglary charges for the offense.
Joe issued a statement addressing the matter via Instagram and Twitter on Sunday, September 27. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out,” the retired football star wrote. “Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well. We appreciate respect for our privacy at this time.”
Joe and Jennifer, 65, have been married since 1985. The longtime couple share four children: Alexandra Whitney, 34, Elizabeth Jean, 33, Nathaniel “Nate” Joseph, 30, and Nicholas “Nick” Alexander, 28.
It has not been confirmed who the grandchild belongs to.
In 2015, Jennifer opened up about how family is “everything” to the duo. “I think it’s a question of what’s important,” she told San Francisco-based CBS affiliate KPIX at the time. “You make a list of things you need to do and sometimes it gets squashed… one phone call from the kids [is all it takes].”
Joe, for his part, spoke to Mercury News in 2016 about how he’s enjoyed watching his two sons follow in his footsteps by playing football. “It’s a lot of fun, to a certain degree,” he previously said. “The other part can be heart-wrenching at times. I know exactly what their emotions are, whether they’re up or down, and that makes it tough.”
The former athlete added, “You hope they never make a mistake, but you also know that can never be the case. There isn’t anyone who can experience that, who can go through it with them, unless you’ve played the position.”
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