A 7-month-old baby in Surprise, Arizona was saved during an hours-long hostage situation by his mother, Allie, who was allegedly being held captive by her ex-boyfriend, Todd Marchetti. Marchetti, armed with a machete, had broken into Allie’s home while her family was away on vacation. The incident ended with the home catching fire and the baby, named Jaxson, being rescued after being shot multiple times.
During the hostage situation, Allie came up with several plans to escape and seek help. She first attempted to leave by convincing Marchetti to let her take their injured dog to the vet. However, Marchetti did not allow her to go alone and fabricated a story to the vet staff about the dog being a stray. Allie then took advantage of a window that Marchetti had damaged when he broke into the home, telling him she needed to get workers to fix it. She managed to escape through the window and find a construction crew who called the police.
When officers arrived, a standoff began as they heard gunshots from inside the house. In police camera footage, officers can be seen rescuing Jaxson and rushing him to medical personnel for examination. The baby was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for treatment after being shot multiple times during the hostage situation. Marchetti refused to come out of the home, leading to a fire starting while he was still inside. Fire crews were unable to extinguish the flames because gunshots were still being heard from within the house.
Marchetti’s remains were found inside a closet-like room with a gunshot wound to the head, indicating he had taken his own life. It was revealed that Marchetti had a history of domestic violence involving Allie and Jaxson, with multiple prior reports in various jurisdictions. Jaxson underwent three surgeries and is expected to recover. Allie’s family released a statement urging individuals to report domestic violence incidents as soon as they occur, emphasizing that lives are at stake in such situations.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was launched for the family to help with medical expenses and recovery. An update on the fundraiser stated that Jaxson had opened his eyes, been removed from breathing assistance, and was finally able to be held by his mother. Allie has been by his side during his hospital stay, and the family is grateful for the support they have received. The fundraiser also provided information for individuals in the U.S. seeking help with domestic violence, encouraging them to call the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
