An Indian doctor who deliberately drove his wife and two young children off a cliff in an attempt to kill them all is now free and reunited with his family after a judge dismissed charges against him. Dharmesh Patel, 45, a Pasadena radiologist, faced three counts of attempted murder after authorities alleged he deliberately drove his Tesla off Devil’s Slide in Pacifica, San Mateo County, in January 2023.
Judge Dismisses Charges Based on Mental Health Progress
Patel stood silently before San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Sharon K. Cho as she dismissed the three attempted murder charges on Monday, July 6, according to the Mercury News. The judge made her decision after receiving reports from Patel’s doctors indicating he was doing well in the mental health diversion program he had been placed in. Cho said reports from Patel’s clinicians showed he was “doing very well” and noted that he plans to continue treatment.
After the ruling, Patel embraced his wife in the courtroom gallery before the couple left the courthouse together. With the charges dismissed, Patel will not face further prosecution and is expected to have his passport returned after it was confiscated by authorities.
Family Survived 300-Foot Plunge
Patel’s wife, 41, and the couple’s two young children — a 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son — were inside the Tesla when it plunged roughly 300 feet down the cliff. All four family members miraculously survived the crash.
During a 2024 hearing, Patel’s attorneys argued he was suffering from major depressive disorder at the time of the wreck, while psychologists testified he experienced a psychotic break. Patel was reportedly experiencing hallucinations, hearing footsteps and believed his children had been sex trafficked, according to two doctors who testified at a hearing in April 2024. The doctor’s delusions were allegedly provoked by the nation’s fentanyl crisis, the war in Ukraine and Patel’s fears his children could be kidnapped and molested, which appeared to have been connected to his worries about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Wife's Emotional Testimony Supported His Return
During a May 2024 court hearing, Patel’s wife addressed the court for the first time since the crash, describing the incident as “a mental health episode beyond any of our understanding or control” and telling the judge that “things will be different” if her husband is allowed to return home. “We need him in our life,” Neha Patel said during a video appearance at the time. “We’re not a family without him.” She told the court she “will not hesitate to seek help when needed” under a treatment plan that relies, in part, on Patel’s family to report any signs of further mental instability. “The health and safety of my family is of paramount importance,” she added.
Patel’s wife also described the toll his incarceration had taken on their family while he remained jailed without bail. She noted that the couple’s 16th wedding anniversary was approaching and called him a “kind and altruistic” man who “has been my best friend for more than 25 years.” She recalled him buying dinner for colleagues and poinsettias for neighbors during the holidays. She said their daughter often cried over her father’s absence, while their son had repeatedly asked why it was “taking so long” for him to come home.
