Tesla Crashes Off Cliff, Family Survives... 40-Year-Old American Head of Household Arrested

US Prosecutors Indict on Attempted Murder and Child Abuse Charges

A man in his 40s in the United States was incarcerated on charges of deliberately crashing a Tesla electric vehicle off a coastal cliff in an attempt to kill his family.

The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office in California announced on the 30th (local time) that Darmesh Patel (41), who had been receiving treatment in a hospital after being arrested on charges of attempted murder and child abuse following the Tesla crash, was recently transferred to jail. Patel was detained without bail, and the prosecution plans to formally indict him and bring him to trial soon.

A Tesla vehicle that fell approximately 76 meters down a cliff in Northern California, USA.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earlier, local media reported that on the morning of the 2nd, a Tesla vehicle driving along the 'Devil’s Slide' coastal road in San Mateo, south of San Francisco, crashed off a cliff, but all occupants survived.

Until then, the incident was regarded as a miraculous survival story, but it later turned into an attempted murder case when Patel’s intentional crash was revealed.

The Tesla vehicle carrying Patel, his wife (41), their daughter (7), and son (4) ? a total of four people ? crashed off a cliff approximately 76 meters below while driving along the coastal road. The vehicle tumbled down, hitting rocks multiple times and was crushed to the point where its shape was barely recognizable, but fortunately, all four occupants survived. They were injured but reportedly not in life-threatening condition.

A San Mateo County Fire Department official involved in the rescue operation said immediately after the accident, "We were very surprised when we found the survivors," adding, "This is an area prone to accidents, but it is very rare to have multiple survivors in such an incident."