Tesla Driver Who Plunged His Family Off 250' California Cliff did so on Purpose, Officials Say

[Turd Fergusen]

A California man intentionally drove a Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in an attempt to kill his family, officials said Tuesday.

The driver and his wife and children survived and were rescued Monday at Devil's Slide in San Mateo County, the California Highway Patrol said.

Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 41, of Pasadena, was arrested and will be booked on attempted murder and child abuse charges once he is out of a hospital, according to the highway patrol.

The rescue involved firefighters who rappelled down the cliff to rescue the two children, 4 and 7, and a helicopter crew who rescued the two adults from the vehicle, officials said.

The Tesla was between 250 and 300 feet down, according to the CHP.

“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the agency said in a statement.

Brian Pottenger, incident commander for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said that witnesses called 911 after the crash around 10:50 a.m.

He said it was “very, very rare” for people to survive such a steep fall and the children's car seats may have saved their lives.

“We were actually very shocked when we found survivable victims in the vehicle. So, that actually was a hopeful moment for us,” Pottenger said.

Full Article:

Tesla driver who plunged his family off California cliff did so on purpose, officials say

The driver, his wife and their two children were rescued after going over the 250-foot cliff in San Mateo County. The driver will be booked on attempted murder counts.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[thuumpr]

Does the fact that everyone survived mean Tesla sails will increase or just that more people will try?

 

[Hermy]

Patel should also be held liable for the cost of the rescue effort.

 

[Metalfan]

Selfish dick!

 

[HEREIBE22]

Wait! They all survived? I am about to be the next headline yall comment on! I wanna Tesla

 

[thuumpr]

Wait! They all survived? I am about to be the next headline yall comment on! I wanna Tesla

There you go! Tesla sails (sales - autocorrect again) are picking up.
@HEREIBE22 apparently wants to scare the hell outta his loved ones.

 

[Turd Fergusen]

Experts say Tesla design, luck kept family alive after cliff plunge​

The miraculous survival of a California doctor and his family after he drove them in a Tesla SUV off a 250-foot cliff is likely due to a combination of sheer luck and a solidly-built car, experts said.

Jingwen Yu, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, said it was “kind of a miracle” that Dr. Dharmesh Patel and his family are alive after the terrifying plunge off the Pacific Coast Highway on Monday.

“The driver probably underestimated how safe a vehicle could be, which provided us ‘hope’ for vehicle safety,” Yu told NBC News.

It remains unclear what driving mode the Tesla was in — including whether it had its Autopilot function on — but officials believe that Patel, 41, intentionally drove his wife Neha and their two children – a 7-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy – over the cliff’s edge.

Experts say Tesla design, luck kept family alive after cliff plunge

The miraculous survival of a California doctor and his family after he drove them in a Tesla SUV off a 250-foot cliff is likely due to a combination of sheer luck and a solidly built car.

nypost.com

 

[Sejanus]

Dr Dickhead

 

[Turd Fergusen]

Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff is sent to jail​

The doctor and father accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a California cliff with his family inside has been released from a hospital and sent to jail — as investigators explore whether mechanical problems led to the crash.

Dharmesh Patel, 41, who is being held without bail, could be arraigned Monday afternoon if the San Mateo District Attorney’s Office decides to charge him with attempted murder and child abuse.

Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff charged with attempted murder

San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said a statement from Patel’s wife to paramedics as well as witness accounts provided enough evidence for charges.

nypost.com

 

[Turd Fergusen]

Charged:

Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff charged with attempted murder​

The doctor accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a California cliff with his wife and two young children inside was formally charged with three counts of attempted murder on Monday, according to court documents obtained by The Post.

Firefighters were forced to cut Dharmesh Patel, 41, his wife, Neha, also 41, their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son out of wreckage. Patel had allegedly intentionally driven the vehicle off a notorious section of the Pacific Coast Highway known as the “Devil’s Slide” on Jan. 2 and dropped 250 ft.

San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said a statement from Patel’s wife to paramedics as well as witness accounts from other motorists and video of the roadway provided enough evidence for the charges against Patel.

“We do believe the evidence establishes the necessary intent to kill,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff charged with attempted murder

San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said a statement from Patel’s wife to paramedics as well as witness accounts provided enough evidence for charges.

nypost.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The eyes of Dharmesh Patel, the man who allegedly tried to kill his family by driving a Tesla off a 250-foot cliff, appear bloodshot in his just-released mugshot.

The first glimpse of Patel since the horrific Jan. 2 crash shows the California doctor’s left eye almost completely filled with blood, which matches his ill-fitting prison garb.

The 41-year-old was charged with three counts of attempted murder Monday for intentionally driving his wife and two children off a notoriously dangerous section of the Pacific Coast Highway known as the “Devil’s Slide” earlier this month. He also faces enhancements for great bodily injury and domestic violence.

Rescuers had to cut all four of the passengers — Patel, wife Neha, their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son — from the mangled Tesla after it plummeted 250 feet onto the rocky beach.

Luckily, the entire family survived the crash in what officials are calling a “miracle.”

Neha was conscious when paramedics tore open the smart car and reportedly screamed that her husband had “intentionally tried to kill us.”

Dharmesh Patel, dad who allegedly tried to kill family, seen for first time since horrific Tesla crash

The first glimpse of Patel since the horrific Jan. 2 crash shows the California doctor’s left eye almost completely filled with blood, which matches his ill-fitting prison garb.

nypost.com

 

[thuumpr]

Damn it Dharmesh! Get a gun and jump solo - stick gun in mouth and pull trigger at the 2 foot mark.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The doctor accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a 250-foot California cliff with his wife and two young kids inside pleaded not guilty to attempted murder Thursday.

Dharmesh Patel, 41, pleaded not guilty in a Redwood City courtroom to three counts of attempted murder and two enhancements — for the grave injuries his wife and 7-year-old daughter suffered, Patch reported.

Dharmesh Patel pleads not guilty to attempted murder for driving family off cliff

Prosecutors said Patel drove off the side of a notorious stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway known as the Devil’s Slide on Jan. 2 in an attempted murder-suicide that the family survived.

nypost.com

 

[Turd Fergusen]

Sad...

Wife of doctor who drove family off cliff in Tesla urges prosecutors not to try him​

The wife of the California doctor accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a cliff with her and their two children aboard has urged authorities not to prosecute him.

Dharmesh Patel, 41, pleaded not guilty last week to three counts of attempted murder and two enhancements — for the severe injuries his wife, Neha, 41, and 7-year-old daughter suffered.

But defense attorney Josh Bentley shocked the courtroom when he said Neha doesn’t want her husband prosecuted – even though she reportedly screamed that he “intentionally tried to kill us” to first responders, KNTV reported.

San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher said victims who decline to cooperate with police are common in cases of domestic violence.

“Regardless of whether she is cooperative, we believe we have sufficient evidence to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said in the Redwood City courtroom.

He said it was not unusual for domestic violence victims to not want to cooperate.

Wife of doctor who drove family off cliff in Tesla urges prosecutors not to try him

The wife of the California doctor accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a cliff with her and their two children aboard has urged authorities not to prosecute him.

nypost.com

 

[Satanica]

He wanted to die, so I think we should put him out of his misery.

 

[Turd Fergusen]

Suicidal Tesla driver Dharmesh Patel blames car for plunging off cliff — but wife says he ‘purposely drove off’​

The suicidal doctor accused of driving his family off a cliff in California has blamed the Tesla he was driving for malfunctioning — but his wife and witnesses maintain it was a deliberate act.

Documents unsealed Wednesday said Dharmesh Patel, 41, told investigators the sensor on his Model Y electric car indicated it had low tire pressure as he was driving his wife and two children on the Pacific Coast Highway on Jan. 2.

Patel said he was trying to stop to check the tires when the car tumbled down the bluff overlooking the ocean.

Patel’s wife, Neha, refuted those claims, according to court documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle telling rescuers: “He’s depressed. He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off.”

In a three-page probable cause document, California Highway Patrol Officer Aaron Sapien wrote while being rescued from the car, Neha Patel told an emergency worker, “something to the effect that the driver, her husband Dharmesh Patel, did it on purpose. …

Suicidal Tesla driver Dharmesh Patel blames car for plunging off cliff — but wife says he ‘purposely drove off’

“He’s depressed. He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff,” his wife told first responders.

nypost.com

 

[Turd Fergusen]

Doctor Dharmesh Patel who drove Tesla off cliff with family inside experienced ‘psychotic’ break, psychologist says​

The “suicidal” California doctor accused of driving his Tesla with his family inside off a cliff allegedly suffered from “major depressive order” and experienced a “psychotic” break during the 2023 crash.

Dharmesh Patel, 43, was experiencing hallucinations, hearing footsteps and believed his children had been sex trafficked, two doctors testified at a hearing on Wednesday in Redwood City.

The Pasadena radiologist’s delusions were provoked by the nation’s fentanyl crisis, the war in Ukraine and feared his children could be kidnapped and molested, which appeared to have been connected to Patel’s worries about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, psychologist Mark Patterson said according to the Orange County Register.

Wednesday’s hearing was a response to an earlier request from Patel who is seeking a mental health diversion in his case.

Doctor Dharmesh Patel who drove Tesla off cliff with family inside experienced ‘psychotic’ break, psychologist says

Dharmesh Patel, 42, was experiencing hallucinations, hearing footsteps and believed his children had been sex trafficked, two doctors testified at a hearing on Wednesday in Redwood City.

nypost.com