Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff in Calif. with wife, kids The driver of a Tesla that plunged 250 feet off a notorious California cliff Monday has been arrested — after authorities say he intentionally drove over the edge with his wife and two children inside the car. Dharmesh Patel, a 41-year-old physician from Pasadena, will be booked on attempted murder and child abuse charges once he is out of a hospital, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement. “CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene,” the highway patrol said in a statement. “Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.” Patel, his wife, Neha, and their children — a 7-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy — miraculously survived after the electric car careened off the notoriously perilous part of the Pacific Coast Highway known as the “Devil’s Slide” about 10:50 a.m. Monday. The vehicle apparently flipped several times before coming to rest on its wheels. Patel is listed as a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles. Several neighbors of the Patels were shocked to hear of the crash and subsequent arrest.
“They’re like ideal neighbors. It seemed like they had a great holiday, they went to go see both parents. It just seemed very happy and great,” Sarah Walker told KABC.
Next-door neighbor Heather H. told the outlet the couple are “lovely people.” The family members were initially listed in critical condition but all four were conscious and alert when rescuers arrived. There was no guardrail at the spot when the white Tesla went over the edge. #DharmeshPatel #DharmeshAPatel https://www.instagram.com/p/CnCa8ObLd4D/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=