On January 2 last year, physician Dharmesh Patel drove his Tesla carrying his wife, two children, and himself off a cliff in San Mateo County. More than a year since, on May 10, prosecution and defense attorneys will deliver their final arguments in Patel’s Mental Health Divergence Court hearing in Redwood City.

What Happened?

According to reports, Patel and his family were visiting extended family in the Bay Area in January last year. He was accompanied in his Tesla by his wife Neha, seven-year-old daughter, and four-year-old son when he drove the car off Devil’s Slide, a seaside cliff along Highway 1 in San Mateo County, and crashed on a rocky beach below. Miraculously, all four passengers survived the fall of around 250 feet. 

As the California Highway Patrol officers rescued the family of four, they heard Patel’s wife screaming that he had intentionally driven off the cliff. Based on evidence they found, the officers arrested Patel on suspicion of attempted murder, a day after the crash. Since then, Patel has been held in jail for over a year without bail.

The Hearing

Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. The 40-year-old Pasadena resident claimed that he pulled off the highway to check a potential flat tire. He is hoping to avoid prison time and undergo mental health treatment under a mental health diversion law of 2018. 

Judge Susan Jakubowski who is presiding over the hearing which started on April 24, will have to decide if Patel suffers from a mental health disorder that qualifies for the diversion law, and if it had a role to play in his actions. Expert witnesses from both the prosecution and the defense appeared before the court to share their diagnoses which included severe depressive disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Previously, Patel’s wife had told rescuers about her husband’s mental health issues. 

On May 2, Neha Patel gave her testimony over Zoom, telling the court that she and her children wish for Dharmesh to return home. She also pleaded with the judge to grant Patel the mental health diversion, so that he could get treatment without having to face prison. 

The closing arguments of the hearing will start at 9 am on Friday, May 10 in the San Mateo County Hall of Justice in Redwood City.