A California doctor accused of intentionally pushing himself and his family off a cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway last year has been granted mental health diversion without appearing at trial, according to court records.
Dharmesh Patel, 42, is charged with three counts of attempted murder for allegedly intentionally driving his Tesla car, carrying his wife and children, ages 4 and 7 at the time, off a cliff in San Mateo County in January 2023. Patel has pleaded not guilty to the charges and will avoid prison time after a judge granted him a mental health diversion last week.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Susan Jakubowski determined Thursday that Patel’s depression qualifies for mental health diversion, according to a statement from the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office obtained by The New York Times and CBS News.
“Judge Jakubowski issued a lengthy statement concluding that the defendant is suitable for mental health diversion. She stated that after considering all of the evidence, she concluded that the appropriate diagnosis of the defendant’s mental illness is severe depression, which is a mental illness as defined by statute,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement.
The mental health diversion program was requested by Patel’s lawyers, who argued that Patel should undergo a two-year outpatient mental health treatment program rather than stand trial, KRON-TV reported in May. “Not everyone who commits a crime is a criminal,” Patel’s lawyer, Joshua Bentley, said in court at the time.
According to the district attorney’s office, doctors who diagnosed Patel with schizoaffective disorder and major depression have recommended that he be held in the county jail for a few weeks as a “bridge period” before being released. A mental health diversion hearing is scheduled for July 1.
The district attorney’s office said that upon his release, Patel will be required to remain at his parents’ residence in Belmont, California, and will not be allowed to leave the residence except for treatment programs or court appearances. He will also be required to wear a GPS monitor and surrender his driver’s license and passport.
The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to USA Today’s request for comment Tuesday.
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Patel was driving a white Tesla on Pacific Coast Highway on January 2, 2023, when the car fell hundreds of feet off a cliff in Devil’s Slide, a coastal area known for its rocky terrain. Rescue workers worked for hours in arduous conditions to free the family.
Firefighters were able to extricate the family from the vehicle and all members survived the crash and were taken to hospital for treatment.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brian Pottenger said it’s rare for someone to survive an accident along Devil’s Slide. “We go out and see cars go off the cliff all the time and no one survives. This is truly a miracle,” he said at the time of the accident.
Authorities said that after reviewing evidence from the incident, investigators “have substantial cause to believe that this incident was intentional.” Patel was arrested later that day and has been in the county jail since the incident.
A search warrant affidavit unsealed last May revealed that Patel’s wife had told authorities her husband was suffering from depression and needed a psychological evaluation.
“He drove off. He was depressed,” Neha Patel, who was 41 at the time, told a California Highway Patrol officer. “He said he was going to drive off a cliff. He drove off on purpose.”
Neha Patel and other family members have supported Dharmesh Patel in the case, KRON-TV reported, adding that she doesn’t want her husband to be charged and wants Patel to be released from prison.
Contributors: Natalie Neisa Alund and Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY
