An Indian-American man in California, Dharmesh Patel, who allegedly drove his Tesla off a cliff with his family onboard, has been sentenced to mental health treatment instead of jail time under a “mental health diversion” ruling in California.
Patel, who had been serving jail time since the incident in January last year, drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff known as Devil’s Slide on Highway 1, with his wife Neha and their two young children, aged 7 and 4, inside. Miraculously, the family survived the crash. Patel, described as having ‘suicidal’ tendencies, suffers from schizoaffective disorder and major depressive disorder, leading him to believe his family was at risk of being sex trafficked, according to testimonies from US psychologists.
Two doctors testified in April that Patel experienced a psychotic break on January 2, 2023, the day of the incident. Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder, to which he pleaded ‘not guilty,’ claiming a technical malfunction caused the Tesla to veer off the cliff. His wife later testified that she did not want him prosecuted.
On Thursday (27), a US court approved Patel for a “mental health diversion” program, allowing defendants with significant mental illness to receive treatment instead of imprisonment. Superior Court Judge Susan M. Jakubowski made the decision based on medical evaluations and released Patel into his parents’ custody in California.
Patel will be monitored via GPS, required to check in with the court weekly, and must surrender his license and passport. The next court hearing is scheduled for July 1.
