The charges against Dharmesh Patel, 45, were dismissed Monday, according to the Bay Area News Group, ending a closely watched case that began after prosecutors alleged Patel deliberately drove his Tesla off Devil’s Slide in Pacifica in January 2023.
Patel had faced three counts of attempted murder stemming from the crash, which sent the vehicle plunging about 300 feet down a coastal cliff.
His wife, then 41, and the couple’s two children, ages 7 and 4 at the time, survived the crash despite the severity of the fall. Firefighters rescued the family by cutting them from the wreckage, and first responders described their survival as miraculous.
The dismissal followed reports from Patel’s treating physicians indicating he had made substantial progress while participating in a mental health diversion program, according to the Bay Area News Group.
In 2024, a judge ruled Patel was eligible for mental health diversion after defense attorneys argued he suffered from major depressive disorder and experienced a psychotic break at the time of the crash.
Mental health diversion allows certain criminal defendants with qualifying mental illnesses to receive treatment instead of facing traditional prosecution if they meet statutory requirements and successfully complete the program.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, whose office opposed Patel’s placement in the diversion program, criticized the outcome.
“He got the break of a lifetime,” Wagstaffe told the Bay Area News Group.
The case drew national attention because of the dramatic nature of the crash and the family’s survival. Prosecutors had alleged Patel intentionally drove the vehicle over the cliff, while the defense maintained his actions were the result of a severe mental health crisis.
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