Joe Montana and Wife Jennifer Foil Kidnapping

Former NFL quarterback Joe Montana has had a fairly low public profile since retiring from the game after the 1994 season. The now 64 year old NFL Hall of Famer lives in California, the state where he achieved great success on the field, winning four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. But Joe was forced into a different kind of action on September 26th, and he and his wife Jennifer teamed up to bring a potential tragic incident to a safe conclusion.

On the afternoon of the 26th, while Joe and Jennifer were babysitting their nine month old grandchild at their Malibu home, a 39 year old woman named Sodsai Dalzell entered the home and took the child out of a playpen and took the child upstairs. The Montanas confronted Dalzell upstairs and asked her to give the child back. When that failed, they sprung into action in what the sheriff’s department described as a “tussle”, with Jennifer finally getting the child away from Dalzell, unharmed. Dalzell fled the scene, and Joe flagged down a passing sheriff’s patrol car and reported the incident. Dalzell was found in another house nearby and taken into custody. She is charged with kidnapping and burglary; no word on if this was believed to be targeted or simply an attempt at a crime of opportunity.

In a tweet after the incident, Joe reported everything was OK and asked for privacy in what must have been a terrifying situation.

In a lighter note, here’s a link to some highlights of Joe Montana’s football career.