Charges against a man accused of driving a car off a cliff in California in 2023 with his wife and children inside were dropped on Monday after he completed a court-ordered mental health program, prosecutors said.
The man, Dharmesh A. Patel, 45, was charged with three counts of attempted murder after the authorities said he drove his Tesla — with his wife and two children inside — off a treacherous cliff-top road in San Mateo County on Jan. 2, 2023. All four survived the 250-foot drop after a rescue that officials described at the time as almost miraculous.
The charges against Mr. Patel, a radiologist with no prior criminal record, were dismissed after he completed a two-year mental health diversion program, which allows defendants to receive treatment instead of standing trial, said Steve Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County district attorney.
Mr. Patel, of Pasadena, Calif., will also have his passport returned to him and his arrest record sealed, according to court records. A protective order was lifted.
“He can drive home tonight,” said Mr. Wagstaffe, whose office opposed the diversion program and had asked the court to bring Mr. Patel to trial. “It’s like the case never happened.”
Mr. Patel’s legal team had fought for the diversion program on the basis of a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. A San Mateo Superior Court judge determined that the diagnosis had contributed to Mr. Patel’s criminal conduct.
The diversion program required Mr. Patel to see a Stanford University psychiatrist and a family therapist, said Mr. Wagstaffe, who has pushed for defendants charged with attempted murder to be excluded from eligibility.
“He’s not going to be responsible for his conduct the way he would be if he was not a radiologist from Pasadena,” Mr. Wagstaffe said. “The law was followed. But I feel the law did not provide justice in this case.”
Mr. Patel’s lawyer, Joshua Bentley, did not respond to a request for comment. A lawyer representing Mr. Patel’s family also did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Patel has reconciled with his family, whom he was allowed to see for court-approved visits during his diversion program, Mr. Wagstaffe said. His wife, who suffered serious spinal injuries in the crash, testified in 2024 that she did not want her husband to be prosecuted, KTLA-TV reported.
Firefighters used ropes to rescue her and the couple’s two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, from the mangled Tesla. The children were uninjured, the authorities said at the time. The California Highway Patrol quickly determined the crash had been “an intentional act.”
Mr. Patel surrendered his medical license in November, according to records from the Medical Board of California. He has been out of work, living with his parents and “complying with all the rules” of his diversion program, Mr. Wagstaffe said, adding that he had “some faith” that Mr. Patel was now reformed.
“There’s nothing else we can do,” Mr. Wagstaffe said.
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