A California radiologist accused of deliberately driving his car off a cliff with his family inside had his attempted murder charges dismissed Monday.
A San Mateo County judge dropped the case against 45-year-old Dharmesh Patel after doctors reported that he had been progressing well in the mental health treatment program he had previously been ordered to complete, FOX San Francisco reported.
Patel, who worked in Pasadena, was placed in a two-year mental health diversion program in July 2024 and was required to live at his parents’ home in Belmont while wearing a GPS monitoring device.
The Tesla sedan driven by Dharmesh Patel, 45, is seen at the site of the Northern California crash, where Patel and his family survived the plunge. (Credit: California Highway Patrol – Golden Gate Division Air Operations / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)
The crash happened in January 2023 as Patel was driving his Tesla along the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County. Authorities said the vehicle went over Devil’s Slide in Pacifica, dropping roughly 300 feet with Patel and his family inside.
Emergency crews had to cut the family out of the wrecked vehicle, including Patel’s 41-year-old wife, their 7-year-old daughter and their 4-year-old son. All four people survived.
During a 2024 court hearing, Patel’s attorneys said he had been experiencing delusions at the time of the crash, fueled by fears surrounding the war in Ukraine and the worsening fentanyl crisis in the U.S.
Dharmesh Patel, 45, had first-degree attempted murder charges dismissed by a California judge this week. Patel was charged after authorities alleged he intentionally drove off a Northern California cliff with his wife and two young children in the vehicle. All four survived. (San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
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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.
INC News has reached out to the district attorney’s office and Patel’s attorney.
