A Tesla with four people inside crashed on rocks on a cliff off California Highway 1 south of San Francisco on Monday. The driver was arrested for intentionally driving the car off the cliff in an attempt to kill his family.
California Highway Patrol/Screenshot by NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
California Highway Patrol/Screenshot by NPR
A Tesla with four people inside crashed on rocks on a cliff off California Highway 1 south of San Francisco on Monday. The driver was arrested for intentionally driving the car off the cliff in an attempt to kill his family.
California Highway Patrol/Screenshot by NPR
A Tesla driver has been arrested and charged with intentionally driving off a cliff in Northern California in an attempt to kill his family, law enforcement officials said.
At approximately 10:50 local time on Monday, officers received a report of a vehicle over the side of a cliff on Highway 1 about 20 miles south of downtown San Francisco, the California Highway Patrol said in press release on Tuesday. Inside the white Tesla, about 250 to 300 feet down a cliff near the Pacific Ocean, were two children, a 4-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, and two adults, both 41, all of whom survive.
Multiple agencies including the California Highway Patrol, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Coast Guard responded.
Firefighters repelled the cliff and first rescued the children, while a helicopter rescue technician was downloaded on the spot and helped save the adults. A Stanford Life Flight helicopter transported the two adults to a local hospital, the Highway Patrol said.
“We come out here unfortunately a lot of times for things like this,” said Coastal Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Brian Pottenger. local television station KTVU. “And it was nothing less than a miracle today that we survived.”
Officials allege that the accident was intentional, and have placed the driver Dharmesh Patel of Pasadena, Calif., under arrest for attempted murder and child abuse.
“CHP investigators worked through the night interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence from the scene,” the Highway Patrol said. “Based on the evidence collected, investigators have developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”
Patel will be transported to the San Mateo County Jail after his release from the hospital.
It’s not clear what driving mode the Tesla was in at the time of the crash, but officials said that driving mode “does not appear to be a contributing factor” in the accident.
“This is still an ongoing investigation and no further information is being released at this time,” the Highway Patrol said.
In 2018, a couple drove themselves and their six adopted children off a cliff north of San Francisco after fleeing their home following a visit from social services authorities. The children were being deprived of food by their parents, according to a complaint filed by their neighbors.
