Father charged and arrested after driving Tesla off California cliff
The accident sent a family of four plummeting off a 250-foot cliff and was followed by a harrowing rescue amid bad weather — and authorities have probable cause to believe this was an “intentional act.”
Rescuers were able to successfully retrieve the four passengers of a Tesla that plunged off a cliff in California.
After a family’s Tesla plunged off a Northern California cliff in an area known as Devil’s Slide along the Pacific Coast Highway Monday morning, emergency crews said it was an “absolute miracle” the family of four survived. But, after an investigation from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), authorities say that car’s dramatic drop wasn’t an accident, but rather an “intentional act,” and the father is facing serious charges.
Dharmesh A. Patel, 42, of Pasadena, was arrested late Monday on suspicion of three counts of attempted murder and two counts of child abuse, the CHP said in a statement.
“California Highway Patrol investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene,” the highway patrol statement said, according to The Associated Press. “Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”
Emergency crews examine a crashed Tesla that drove off the Pacific Coast Highway on Monday. (Photo courtesy of San Mateo Sheriff's Office)
Patel’s place of work, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles, released a statement Tuesday confirming the three other people — a 41-year-old woman, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy — in the car were his family, ABC 7 News reported.
“Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family,” the statement from the medical center read, ABC 7 News reported. “We are extremely grateful there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further, as this incident is under investigation.”
The four-door Tesla sedan plummeted more than 250 feet from the highway, crashing into the rocky shoreline below. Damage to the vehicle indicates that it likely flipped multiple times before landing on its wheels, wedged between the cliff and the shoreline, Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire, said in a video update shared online.
Once emergency services arrived on the scene, they quickly moved to reach the vehicle and occupants. As the crews were lowering firefighters down a cliff, other firefighters watching the car with binoculars suddenly noticed movement in the front seat through the windshield, according to Pottenger.
"So we knew that we had at least one person alive," Pottenger said. "[But] at that point, we did not know how many people were in the vehicle."
Helicopters were ordered to help expedite the rescue efforts.
Heavy rain, gusty winds and crashing waves associated with a storm system bringing historic rainfall to California hampered the rescue efforts, and the victims were trapped in the car for over an hour, authorities said.
Emergency crews had to use special extrication tools to pry open the doors that were jammed shut. Once they gained access inside, first responders discovered that all four victims were still alive. The two children suffered minor injuries. They were pulled out of the back window and carried up the cliff using a rescue basket.
"They were more scared than they were hurt," Pottenger told The Associated Press.
This image from video provided by San Mateo County Sheriff's Office shows a helicopter rescue after a Tesla plunged off a Northern California cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, near an area known as Devil's Slide, a fire official said. (San Mateo County Sheriff's Office via AP)
The two adult victims were hoisted up from the shore by a helicopter and flown to the hospital. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries but were in critical condition, NBC Bay Area reported.
"We go there all the time for cars over the cliff, and they never live," Pottenger told the AP. "This was an absolute miracle."
While the road's conditions were not believed to be a factor in the crash, there were no guardrails at the spot where the Telsa went off the cliff. Also, California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Andrews told the AP that based on the initial police investigation, the Tesla was not operating on Autopilot or in "full self-driving mode" at the time of the crash.
Robin Johnson watched as the accident unfolded right in front of her.
"As I'm driving by, I'm like, 'Wow, he's driving extremely fast to take that exit.' You're not even supposed to be going up that way," Johnson told NBC Bay Area. "And I can see in my rear-view mirror this car that just [went] over the edge and straight down." She then quickly called 911.
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