Crime
Pasadena Doctor Who Drove Family Off California Cliff Reunites With Wife He Tried to Kill
A California doctor who tried to kill himself, along with his wife and children, by driving their car off a cliff, has reunited with his family.
Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, was facing three counts of attempted murder after he allegedly intentionally drove his Tesla off Devil’s Slide in Pacifica, California — a 300-foot cliff — in January 2023.
Miraculously, Patel, his wife, Neha, and their children all survived.
On Monday, Judge Sharon K. Cho dismissed Patel’s three attempted murder charges.
“Defendant Patel completed the two years of mental health diversion and thus under the California law, Judge Cho had no discretion,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told People on Tuesday, July 7. “She had to dismiss the charges; it was not a choice she made to dismiss or not dismiss the charges. My prosecutor did not object for the same reason.”
Following the judge’s ruling, Patel was seen embracing his wife and leaving the courthouse together, according to the New York Post.
“We need him in our life,” Neha, 41, said during a video appearance in court in May 2024. “We’re not a family without him.”
She continued, “The health and safety of my family is of paramount importance … Seeing my kids in emotional pain is one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure.”
