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.

September 28, 2020

Joe and Jennifer Montana, 2005 [New York Daily News Archive / Getty]

Joe and Jennifer Montana, 2005 [New York Daily News Archive / Getty]

By: Aaron Rasmussen

Related To:

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.

Next Up

Kayla Unbehaun, Missing Since 2017, Found Safe In Asheville

Kayla Unbehaun was abducted from Illinois by her biological mother, Heather Unbehaun, on Independence Day 2017. 6 years later, she was found safe in North Carolina.

5 Facts You May Not Know About Cleveland 'House Of Horrors' Kidnapper Ariel Castro

How a fired school bus driver abducted three young women and held them in his home for a decade — until one victim escaped with the daughter she’d had in captivity.

Kidnapping Victim Helps Orchestrate Her Own Rescue By Holding Up Sign Saying 'Help Me'

A 13-year-old girl was rescued after holding up a sign from the window of Steven Robert Sablan’s car in a Long Beach, California parking lot.

Navajo Nation Girl Assaulted, Killed After Man Kidnapped Her While She Was Playing

Tom Begaye Jr. left the 11-year-old child to die in the desert after “repeatedly hitting her on the head and face with a tire iron.”

Arizona Woman Helps Save Herself During Kidnapping By Passing Note To A Stranger

After being kidnapped by a man disguised as an Uber driver, a woman helped save herself by passing a note to a stranger at an Arizona gas station asking them to call 911.

Armed Men Force Mother To Rob Bank By Strapping Dynamite To Her 7-Year-Old Daughter

Despite the ordeal, Michelle Renee says she wants “nothing but the best” for her and her child’s captors.

DNA Ties Two Virginia College Students’ Homicides To ‘Back-To-School Killer’

One victim’s mother called Jesse Matthew Jr. "a serial rapist and murderer who had been hiding in plain sight."

Missouri Pair Allegedly Kidnapped Woman, Held Her Captive In Cage, Authorities Say

An anonymous tipster reportedly sent the FBI a photo of the victim restrained and partially nude.

How The Abduction And Murder Of A 9-Year-Old Led To The AMBER Alert System

The AMBER alert system first debuted in 1996 as a collaboration between news media and police in Arlington, Texas. Named for Amber Hagerman, the alerts have helped find more than 1,000 abducted children.

Missing Alabama Woman May Have Been Kidnapped And Pushed Off A Cliff

Mary Elizabeth Isbell Wright has been missing for nearly two years. After a long investigation, Loretta Kay Carr, 43, has been arrested and charged for kidnapping and murdering her.