Charges of attempted murder against a California radiologist, accused of purposefully driving his family off a cliff, were dismissed on Monday.
A San Mateo County judge decided to drop the allegations against 45-year-old Dharmesh Patel. This decision came after medical professionals reported that Patel had significantly improved in the mental health program he was initially required to join, according to a report by FOX San Francisco.
In July 2024, Patel, a Pasadena-based radiologist, was instructed to participate in a two-year mental health diversion initiative. During this time, he was to reside at his parents’ home in Belmont under GPS monitoring.
The Tesla driven by Dharmesh Patel, 45, remained at the crash site in Northern California, where he and his family miraculously survived the incident. (Credit: California Highway Patrol – Golden Gate Division Air Operations / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)
The incident took place in January 2023 when Patel, driving his Tesla along the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County, veered off Devil’s Slide in Pacifica, sending the car plummeting 300 feet with his family aboard.
First responders were forced to cut his family, including Patel’s 41-year-old wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 4-year-old son, out of the wreckage. Everyone survived.
At the time of the incident, Patel was having delusions driven by the war in Ukraine and the growing fentanyl crisis in the United States, his lawyers argued during a 2024 court hearing.
Dharmesh Patel, 45, had his first-degree attempted murder charges dismissed by a California judge this week. Patel was charged after allegedly intentionally driving a vehicle with his wife and two young children inside off a Northern California cliff. All four survived. (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Patel’s greatest delusion, according to a psychologist, was his fear that his children could be kidnapped and molested, which appeared somehow connected to his concerns about Jeffrey Epstein.
Shortly after the crash, Patel’s wife, Neha, said her husband “did it on purpose” and needed a “psych evaluation.” In addition, she said her husband was depressed, according to court documents.
“He said he was going to drive off the cliff,” she said.
Dharmesh Patel was charged with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly driving a vehicle with his family inside off a cliff. (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who opposed Patel’s placement in the diversion program, criticized the decision to dismiss the case.
“He got the break of a lifetime,” Wagstaffe told the Mercury News.
After the ruling, Patel embraced his wife, and they left the courtroom together, the newspaper reported.
News Media has reached out to the district attorney’s office and Patel’s attorney.