A San Mateo County judge on Monday dismissed attempted murder charges against Dharmesh Patel, a 45-year-old radiologist accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a cliff with his wife and two young children inside. The incident occurred in January 2023 on the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County, California.
Patel was ordered to complete a two-year mental health diversion program, which he reportedly finished successfully. Doctors involved in his treatment indicated he was doing well. Following the dismissal, Patel, his wife, and their children, aged 7 and 4, survived the plunge. First responders had to cut the family from the wreckage of the vehicle, which fell 300 feet off Devil's Slide in Pacifica.
During a court hearing in 2024, Patel's attorneys argued that he was experiencing delusions at the time of the incident, fueled by concerns over the war in Ukraine and the fentanyl crisis. A psychologist noted that Patel's most significant delusion involved a fear that his children could be kidnapped and molested, which he seemed to connect to concerns about Jeffrey Epstein.
Patel's wife, Neha, stated after the crash that her husband had "done it on purpose" and needed a psychiatric evaluation, adding that he had been depressed and had said he was going to drive off the cliff.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe opposed Patel's placement in the diversion program and criticized the judge's decision to dismiss the case. "He got the break of a lifetime," Wagstaffe told the Mercury News. Patel and his wife embraced after the ruling and left the courtroom together.