On Monday, a California judge dismissed attempted murder charges against Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist accused of intentionally driving his family off a cliff.
The decision came after the judge noted that Patel, 45, was performing well in a mental health program mandated earlier. In July 2024, he was placed under a two-year transition plan, monitoring his movements with a GPS while staying at his parents’ home in Belmont.
In January 2023, Patel was driving a Tesla along the Pacific Coast Highway when the family’s vehicle went over the edge at Pacifica Devil’s Slide, plummeting around 300 feet. Remarkably, first responders were able to extract Patel, his 41-year-old wife, their 7-year-old daughter, and 4-year-old son from the wreckage, with all of them surviving the incident.
During a court hearing in 2024, Patel’s lawyers argued that he was delusional at the time of the crash, exacerbated by worries stemming from the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the U.S.
Patel’s paranoia reportedly includes fears about the potential abduction and abuse of his children, which his lawyers connected to anxieties regarding figures like Jeffrey Epstein. Following the accident, his wife Neha stated that she believed her husband “did it on purpose,” noting he was in need of a “psychiatric evaluation” due to his depression. She mentioned that he had expressed intentions of driving off a cliff.
San Mateo County’s District Attorney, Steve Wagstaff, expressed strong disapproval of the judge’s decision to dismiss the case and opposed Patel’s enrollment in the diversion program, stating that it seemed he had received an undeserved break. After the ruling, Patel was seen embracing his wife as they exited the courtroom together.
