Man who drove family off cliff near Half Moon Bay released

On Jan. 2, 2023, Dharmesh A. Patel was driving a Tesla southbound on the highway, with his wife and two children, after spending the holidays with family in the Bay Area. Just outside the Tom Lantos Tunnels, he turned off the road and the car went over a cliff, crashing into the rocky shore and surf below.

Although the car fell 250 feet, all four survived the crash, with one child suffering minor injuries. Prosecutors maintained the crash was intentional and charged Patel on multiple counts, including attempted murder and child abuse, according to court records.

Patel will avoid jail time after Judge Susan Jakubowski concluded June 20 that his major depressive disorder qualified him for mental health diversion.

He will be required to follow a strict treatment plan, including twice-weekly tests to prove he’s taking his medication, and reside at his parent’s house in Belmont according to the DA’s Office.

Additionally, Patel will be required to wear a GPS monitoring system, will not be allowed to leave San Mateo County and will return to court weekly for progress updates.

His wife Neha Patel repeatedly told rescuers that Dharmesh Patel intentionally drove his Tesla off the cliff and that her husband was depressed and needed a psychological evaluation, according to an unsealed search warrant affidavit.

In a May hearing, however, she spoke virtually for about 10 minutes and said she wanted all charges dropped.

To qualify for mental health diversion court, the defense had to prove Patel had a mental illness that caused the crime or was a significant factor in it. They must also show that he can be treated over the course of a year and that he is not a present threat to the community.

Wagstaffe attributed the conclusion of the case to fairly recent mental health diversion court law.

“Five years ago, he would have been looking at seven years to life in state prison,” he said. “The law has softened up quite a bit.”