CA - Tesla crash off cliff shocked rescuers, Dr. dad arrested for attempted murder of family, Devil’s Slide, Jan 2023

[ifindedout]

He received a TBI (as did his family), and his behavior will need to be monitored closely. Best place to do that is in a supervised setting, hopefully the judge will take that into consideration. MOO

 

[10ofRods]

It truly is unthinkable. I wonder if he was conscious while waiting for help. Can you imagine the conversation.

I bet this will be on 20/20, Dateline, etc soon. Gorgeous couple (he’s a Dr and she’s a teacher), kids are adorable, affluent neighborhood, etc. why would he do this?

Stress? Mental illness? Addiction? There are many possible explanations.

 

[athenna]

I feel like that would just traumatize those poor kids further, to grow up and read the articles about what their dad did to them and that their mother tried to keep him out of jail. (My opinion only.)

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I don't believe we should judge a victim's reaction to severe trauma. That us why it's up to authorities whether to prosecute. And I think it sounds like they've got this.

 

[arielilane]

Neighbor of Calif. Family Driven off Cliff by Father Says, 'We Don't Know What Goes on Behind Closed Doors'

Dharmesh Patel has been charged with three counts of attempted murder

people.com

What witnesses saw around 10 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2023, was a white Tesla careening over the edge of Devil's Slide — a stretch of treacherous, rocky coastline on Highway 1 about 15 miles south of San Francisco.

The electric vehicle dropped some 300 feet before crash-landing just feet from the waves of the Pacific Ocean.


"I saw it disappear in midair, going down," Robin Johnson, who was driving by when the Tesla went over the cliff, tells PEOPLE. "When I pulled over to the side of the road and looked down, I could see the car all crushed and mangled. I think everyone thought that there were no survivors."

It turned out that all four passengers miraculously survived.

 

[SouthAussie]

Patel, whose family was visiting the Bay Area over the winter holidays, was due to appear in court on Monday for his first preliminary hearing. But a judge granted his attorneys' motion to delay the hearing until April 13 .....

Key hearing in Devil's Slide Tesla crash trial delayed

Dharmesh Patel remains in San Mateo County Jail while awaiting a trio of attempted murder charges.

www.sfexaminer.com

 

[Lonicera]

As a wife and daughter and sister and mother and grandmother I can no longer tolerate these crimes . These men must account for their savagery and their actions. This is 2023.

 

[athenna]

A lot of new info here.

Exclusive: Why police say California dad drove Tesla off cliff at Devil’s Slide

Unsealed court records provide first glimpse into what Dharmesh Patel said happened when...

www.sfchronicle.com

Unsurprising that he has an elaborate story about stopping to check the tire pressure and still manages to throw blame at his wife (“she was irritated” about stopping at his brother’s house…) like that makes her somehow responsible?

 

[Marysmith]

A lot of new info here.

Exclusive: Why police say California dad drove Tesla off cliff at Devil’s Slide

Unsealed court records provide first glimpse into what Dharmesh Patel said happened when...

www.sfchronicle.com

Unsurprising that he has an elaborate story about stopping to check the tire pressure and still manages to throw blame at his wife (“she was irritated” about stopping at his brother’s house…) like that makes her somehow responsible?

Unfortunately I agree that it’s not surprising… I hope she can stay strong through this.

 

[whitelilac]

Several witnesses and surveillance video, plus the wife's initial words.
Tire pressure? I don't think so.

 

[LordMo]

Several witnesses and surveillance video, plus the wife's initial words.
Tire pressure? I don't think so.

oh, but it's true! Nagging deflates tires, don't you know? I learned it from the bawdy 1970s movies my dad pretended he didn't watch!!! (/sarcasm)

 

[Tman2004]

And imagine how they felt upon learning this wasn't an accident.

Wasn't this the same area where the lesbian couple drove off a cliff in a van WITH THEIR SIX ADOPTED CHILDREN a few years ago?

I just heard about that case on Mother’s Day. They had been reported to cps multiple times and nothing was ever. One of the little boys would ask a neighbor for food and what not. I believe they never found the remains of dt least one of the kids. Such a weird story.

 

[SouthAussie]

Fortunately, it sounds as if the Tesla cloud data disproves the things that Patel is claiming.
It sounds like he planned this, he had his story ready and tried to create it as they drove. imo


"He told officers he had stopped at three gas stations on the drive to put air in his left rear tire, but that a dashboard sensor continued to indicate it was low on pressure."
San Francisco Chronicle link


"Neha Patel [wife] told investigators that her husband stopped at three gas stations on the drive to put air in his left rear tire, despite no sensor showing low tire pressure."

Sapien’s affidavit also shows investigators asked the electric car maker to provide “cloud” data from the car’s navigation system that could show the speed the vehicle was traveling, warning signs of pending hazards and what inputs the driver was giving to the vehicle.
Mercury News link


Patel is due in court for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. on June 12.

 

[Eloise]

Yeah a Tesla isn't really the right vehicle to commit such a crime in. It's going to tell on him!

 

[arielilane]

The wife of a Pasadena man accused of intentionally driving his family off a cliff in Northern California said he was depressed and needed a psychological evaluation, according to a newly unsealed warrant affidavit.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1659201626127867909

https://twitter.com/abc7

Wife says Pasadena man was depressed and purposely drove family off NorCal cliff: court record

The wife of a Pasadena man accused of intentionally driving his family off a cliff in Northern California said he was depressed and needed a psychological evaluation, according to a newly unsealed search warrant affidavit.

abc7.com

5/18/2023

Wife says Pasadena man was depressed and purposely drove family off NorCal cliff: court record​

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- The wife of a Pasadena man accused of intentionally driving his family off a cliff in Northern California said he was depressed and needed a psychological evaluation, according to a newly unsealed search warrant affidavit.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that Neha Patel repeatedly told rescuers that Dharmesh Patel intentionally drove off a San Mateo County cliff on Jan. 2 in a bid to kill her and their two children, ages 4 and 7. All four survived in what one official called an "absolute miracle."

Dharmesh, a radiologist in the Pasadena area, told the California Highway Patrol he pulled off the road to check on a possible flat tire.

"He drove off. He's depressed," Neha Patel told a California Highway Patrol officer as she was flown away from the crash site, according to the Chronicle. "He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off."

 

[Sleuthine]

I just found this thread. I know the area very well and drive through the tunnel multiple times per year.

My very initial thought was that of suicide. It happened there before as well, IIRC not more than five years ago. And also at least once before that. What struck me as being different this time was that there were multiple people in the car.

Driving southbound is always a bit scary (albeit okay), at least to me; driving northbound is fine. I don't think on that January Day it was foggy or rainy. So there can be accidents, but usually, if one goes over the cliff in that area, it has been premeditated. I think the whole story here doesn't add up and believe 100% that this was attempted murder. Perhaps in the spur of the moment only.

Their driving route is interesting (from the above-linked SF Chronicle article). From Belmont to Montara they probably took 92, then Highway 1. But Montara is south of Pacifica (and San Francisco); they didn't need to go up further north in order to return to LA. So they didn't need to be at this cliff, even after visiting the brother. It is scenic, though, and perhaps he will claim they wanted to visit SF as well. Or he has read about this spot in newspapers...

Edit: It actually might have been rainy.

 

[Sleuthine]

I am also wondering where all these gas stations are supposed to be on the way from Belmont to Montara (unless I understood the article wrong and they mean a longer driving distance; from LA). This specific route 92/1 is very rural. There must be a handful of gas stations, but certainly not more than that. Did they really stop at all of them?

 

[SophieRose]

I am also wondering where all these gas stations are supposed to be on the way from Belmont to Montara (unless I understood the article wrong and they mean a longer driving distance; from LA). This specific route 92/1 is very rural. There must be a handful of gas stations, but certainly not more than that. Did they really stop at all of them?

Gas stations could be on El Camino in San Mateo and Highway 92 or Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. There is even one in Montara.

Pasadena radiologist accused of driving Tesla off cliff with family did it intentionally, wife says

The man who drove his Tesla off of a cliff in San Mateo County with his family inside did so intentionally, his wife tells investigators.

www.ocregister.com

On the drive from Belmont to the brother’s house in Montara, Neha Patel told investigators, her husband stopped at three gas stations to put air in his left rear tire, despite no sensor showing low tire pressure. Sapien wrote that Patel said his car “began to feel different” while driving on the highway.

 

[Sleuthine]

This means he claims that he basically stopped at (nearly) all gas stations en route. Is a bit strange. The entire drive is also only 30 minutes (Belmont to Montara).

I looked up previous "accidents" just before the tunnel, cars driving off the cliff, and the most recent one before this one was actually in September 22, so three months earlier. I have totally forgotten about this one. It was also in the news: Man critically injured after car plunges off Highway 1 near Devil’s Slide

 

[Chikkamma]

Might anyone here be able to get a transcript of the actual affidavit?