He Did It On Purpose: Wife Claims Indian American Doctor Deliberately Drove Tesla Off Cliff With Family Inside

The just unsealed documents reveal that the wife of the Indian American radiologist who was accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a 330-foot cliff in California did indeed plunge them, including two of their children “on purpose.”

The documents unsealed on Wednesday confirmed that Patel’s wife Neha Patel told the police and rescue workers at least three times that her husband deliberately drove the car off the cliff. All four of them, however, miraculously survived the crash even as their car was badly mauled after rolling over several times. The children were 7 and 4 years old at the time of the crash in San Mateo County on Jan. 2.

Dr. Dharmesh Patel, 41, was charged with three counts of attempted murder, accused of driving off the Pacific Coast Highway. He pleaded not guilty in February.

According to a report an NBC news report, Patel’s wife also told a California Highway Patrol officer: “He drove off. He’s depressed. He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He drove off on purpose.”

The arrest warrant affidavit said two witnesses reported the Tesla “accelerated” as it traveled toward the cliffside, and there was no evidence that the driver tried to brake before he plummeted off the cliff.

A nearby security camera which captured the moment the Tesla drove off the cliffside, showed the car taking a gradual right turn, plunging off the cliffside. There is no indication of attempts to brake or to turn the Tesla in a different direction,” according to the filing.

The unsealed documents also revealed what Dr. Patel said about the crash. “He claimed he had pulled over to check his tire pressure, which the Tesla indicated was low earlier that morning,” the affidavit said.

What is clear from the documents was that the Pasadena radiologist, according to this wife, was visibly depressed and told the authorities that he told he “was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off.”

The doctor pleaded not guilty to all three counts, A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 12, at which time a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to move ahead with a trial.

According to news reports, Patel’s defense attorney Josh Bentley has previously said that his wife did not want her husband prosecuted, despite her comments at the scene saying the crash was not an accident.

A judge in San Mateo Court ruled that Patel can only have limited contact with his family, especially his wife, as he remains in custody without bail, the Daily Mail reported.

As to the question about the doctor being depressed, the unsealed documents did not reveal a categorical answer. When “asked if he felt suicidal, he said, `You know, not like a plan, not usually,´’ the affidavit said.

According to news reports, when investigators asked Patel whether he was depressed, he responded “Not really.” But he said he was feeling down about “the war and drugs and crazy stuff.”