Tesla Devil’s Slide crash driver charged with attempted murder

Dharmesh Patel, 41, allegedly drove off a 250-foot cliff in an attempt to kill himself and his family

Dharmesh Patel, Indian American driver of a car that plunged off a treacherous cliff in northern California, seriously injuring himself, his wife and their two young children, has been charged with attempted murder.

Patel, 41, faces three counts of attempted murder with enhancements for great bodily injury and domestic violence, according to court records. The next hearing is scheduled for 1:30 pm, Feb 9.

Read: Indian American doctor Dharmesh Patel arrested after driving wife, kids off a 250-foot cliff (January 5, 2023)

As paramedics rappelled down the 250-foot cliff at Pacifica’s notorious Devil’s Slide to rescue the Patel family trapped in a smashed-up Tesla, a wife’s anguished screams were the first clue, Mercury News reported citing prosecutors: This was no accident.

Neha Patel indicated that her husband had deliberately driven off the cliff, imperiling the whole family, including their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in the backseat, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told the newspaper.

How the family survived the terrifying ordeal was stunning enough. But another mystery remains: Why would Patel, a Pasadena radiologist who lived what neighbors say appeared to be a charmed life, want to kill himself and his family?

“Why this day?” Wagstaffe said after Patel’s first appearance in court Monday. “What led to this? What was the trigger? That’s still under investigation.”

Video footage from a camera perched atop the Tom Lantos Tunnel shows that after Patel exited the tunnel, he continued uphill, then made two right turns, one into a wide dirt shoulder and the next, a sharp right over the cliff, Wagstaffe was quoted as saying.

Patel’s wife, Neha, who remains hospitalized, was “screaming” to paramedics about her husband’s “intentionality,” said Wagstaffe, who declined to explain exactly what she said.

During his Monday court appearance, Patel remained out of sight from the crowded courtroom in a corner behind glass. He declined to enter a plea and will remain in the Redwood City jail without bail, Judge Jeffrey Finigan ruled.

The judge also rejected Deputy District Attorney Dominique Davis’ request that Patel have no contact with his wife. Instead, Finigan issued a less restrictive “no harassment” order.

Read: Driver in Devil’s Slide Cliff Crash Charged With Attempted Murder (January 30, 2023)

After the hearing, Wagstaffe told reporters he was disappointed in the judge’s ruling, saying that “Mr. Patel could be on the phone right now with her at the hospital and we don’t think that’s necessarily the best thing.”

Patel, who suffered an injury to a foot or leg in the accident, was recently released from the hospital, Wagstaffe said. Patel’s wife’s injuries were more severe and she remains in the hospital, Wagstaffe said without elaborating.

The children have both been released from the hospital: the 7-year-old daughter had more serious injuries than the 4-year-old son, who survived with only bruises, Wagstaffe said. For now, both children are living with their father’s relatives in the Bay Area, Wagstaffe said.