Man Who is Accused of Driving His Family Off a Cliff in California Has Been Given a Mental Health Treatment Program, the District Attorney Says

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s office said in a news statement Thursday that the criminal trial for the California man who is accused of driving himself, his wife, and their two children off a cliff on a coastal highway in January 2023 has been put on hold because of his mental health.

Judge Susan Jakubowski said she agreed to the defense’s request for a mental health delay after looking at the evidence and deciding that Dharmesh Patel had major depressive disorder.

Patel, 42, was charged with three counts of attempted murder last year after prosecutors said he drove his Tesla off of Devil’s Slide, a section of the Pacific Coast Highway. He, his wife, and their two kids, who were 7 and 4 years old at the time, fell about 250 feet to a rocky beach below. Patel said he was not guilty of the charges.

The crash did not hurt any of the four family members. At the time, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said that Patel’s wife was taken to the hospital with “major injuries” and that the couple’s 7-year-old child was also hurt. Since then, they’re better.

The release says that Patel will now be held in county jail for two weeks as a “bridging period” at the request of the defense doctors. For “further proceedings on the court’s order,” Patel will have to stay in jail until his next hearing on July 1.

As part of the diversion plan, Patel will have to stay at his parents’ house in San Mateo County after he gets out of jail. He will only be able to leave to go to court or treatment classes, according to the release.

The release said he will have to wear a GPS watch, go back to court once a week for progress reports, take tests twice a week to show he is taking his medications as prescribed, stay away from drugs and alcohol, and not have any weapons. Besides that, he can’t drive and has to give the court his driver’s license and visa.