Former NFL quarterback Joe Montana and his wife fought off a home intruder on Saturday, who was allegedly trying to steal their grandchild.
Montana, 64, and his wife Jennifer had put their nine-month-old grandchild in a playpen, where the baby had been sleeping, when a 39-year-old woman entered their home at around 5 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The woman, now identified as Sodsai Dalzell, took the baby from the pen and held the child in her arms. Montana and his wife tried to de-escalate the situation, but “a tussle ensued and Mrs. Montana was able to safely pry the child out of the suspect’s arms,” according to police. No one was injured in the incident, including the baby.
Dalzell fled the scene without the child, but was later caught and charged with kidnapping and burglary.
Montana thanked his fans who had been sending him well wishes following the incident:
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out. Scary situation, but thankful that everybody is doing well. We appreciate respect for our privacy at this time.”
Montana is a football legend, having played for the San Francisco 49ers for 14 years, and the Kansas City Chiefs for two years before retiring in 1995.
Montana married model and actress Jennifer in 1985, after they met on the set of a Schick commercial, and the couple has four children together: Alexandra Whitney, 34, Elizabeth Jean, 33, Nathaniel “Nate” Joseph, 30, and Nicholas Alexander, 28.
