Article by Rebecca Davis

DOCTOR CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER FOR

INTENTIALLY DRIVING FAMILY OFF CLIFF

On January 2nd at approximately 11:00 am, San Mateo County CHP got reports of a white Tesla plunging
off a 250 foot cliff off highway 1 in San Mateo, California. Inside the car was a family of four, Dr.
Dharmesh Patel, his wife, Neha, and two children ages four and seven. When rescue team descended
down the infamous cliff named “the devil’s slide” they expected there to be no survivor’s until they saw
movement in the front passenger seat. Officials were shocked to realize that everyone in the car had
survived the treacherous plunge off the cliff and stated, “it’s an absolute miracle no one died”. While
paramedics were extracting Neha, who was riding in the passenger seat, reports say that she told
multiple people “He intentionally tried to kill us!” This spurred a full investigation into the crash. District
attorney Wagstaff noted that two drivers who witnessed the crash told authorities they didn’t see brake
lights before the Tesla’s plunge. A surveillance video located nearby corroborated this story and even
showed the car making a sharp right turn off the cliff. The Tesla is currently being examined by the
California highway patrol’s major accident investigations team (MAIT) to determine if there were any
brake or tire issues that could have been faulty, but a preliminary investigation didn’t indicate any
vehicle problems. Patel’s wife, Neha, is still being hospitalized for serious injuries to her lower body.
Their seven-year-old daughter is also still recovering in the hospital. Miraculously, their four-year-old
son only sustained only minor cuts and bruises during the crash and didn’t need to be hospitalized.
Although authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the intentional crash, On January 30 th, the
district attorney decided to move forward with criminal charges and Dr. Dharmesh Patel was charged
with three counts of attempted murder. During a press conference, officials said, “It certainly seems like
this was an intentional act to us and that’s why we filed the charges. We’re looking into what led up to
this. Was there depression or anything else?” District Attorney also said, “It wasn’t just that he was
trying to kill them, he was trying to kill himself too.” Neha Patel’s attorney has filed a stay-away order
against her husband because of his repeated attempts to contact her. The Patel family lived in a upscale
home in Pasadena and their neighbors told people magazine that in the past five years police have been
called to the Patel house approximately ten times for unknown reasons. They also noted that besides
the police visits, they seemed like a normal family. Patel and his wife regularly sent out holiday cards to
friends in the neighborhood and attended local community events. They had no reason to suspect Patel
would attempt a crime like this. Patel has yet to enter a plea deal and is scheduled to appear in court on
February 7th.

Photo (top left, Patel and his family): Facebook. Photo (top right, wreckage site): SGT Brian, Shutterstock