Joe Montana described an attempted kidnapping of his grandchild as a "scary situation" after preventing an intruder from taking the nine-month old.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed on Sunday that San Francisco 49ers legend Montana and his wife Jennifer intervened after a woman entered their Malibu home and picked up the child, who was sleeping in a playpen at the time.

Jennifer Montana was able to prise the child from the woman's arms following a tussle.

The woman fled the scene but was later arrested on burglary and kidnapping charges.

Montana posted on Twitter: "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 widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, having won four Super Bowls in his 13 seasons with the 49ers before playing the final two years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.