NRI man arrested in US for attempted murder after he
'deliberately' drives car off cliff

Los Angeles, Jan 04, 2023
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh

NRI Dharmesh A. Patel, 41, of Pasadena, Calif., was arrested late Monday on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after his Tesla careened off a treacherous cliff in Northern California with him, his wife and two children inside. He will be transported to San Mateo County Jail after being released from the hospital

A family of four whose car had careened off a treacherous cliff-top road in Northern California, plummeted more than 250 feet and trapped them on Monday managed to survive and avoid life-threatening injuries. The authorities say their car’s dramatic drop wasn’t an accident, but an “intentional act,” and that the father could face charges.

The area where the car fell is very high and filled with rocky cliffs that drop down to the Pacific Ocean and beach area, Brian Pottenger, the battalion chief of the Coastside Fire Protection District’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit. It is known for being difficult to drive through, and is often referred to as Devil’s Slide. Mr. Pottenger said the vehicle landed upright, on its wheels, which made the passengers easier to access through the side windows.

Mr. Patel’s wife, 41, and their two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, were trapped in the vehicle when emergency responders arrived, Chief Pottenger said. Firefighters extricated the victims and, using ropes, brought the children to the road on stretchers and then to a nearby hospital. The children were uninjured, the authorities said. The adults, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, were hoisted onto a helicopter and taken to the highway, where they were transferred to a hospital by air ambulance.