Ritu Jha-
A man drove his family off a cliff. And as the police claim it was intentional, the extended family withdrew into itself in shock.
According to police reports, the incident occurred when Dr. Dharmesh Arvind Patel, a resident of Pasadena in southern California, was returning with his wife Neha and their children after visiting his in-laws in Dublin, California.
While driving along Highway 1 near San Mateo, police claim Patel drove his Tesla off a Devil’s Cliff, a section of the road off the ocean that rises 250 feet. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has charged him with attempted murder and child abuse. The children are 7 and 4, respectively.
CHP officer spokesperson Mark Andrews told indica the incident was “intentional,” adding that “based on information… it’s a very serious case.”
One witness, Robin Johnson, told NBC, the car was going “extremely fast” towards an exit before going “over the edge and straight down.”
“They are serious but in stable condition,” Officer Andrews said of those in the car. “They are out of the emergency room and are receiving treatment at Stanford.”
Andrews said the investigation is ongoing, and that Patel had an attorney.
“He is in serious condition but we expect him to be out of the hospital soon… [in] a few days,” Andrews said.
Calling the family’s survival “miraculous,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told indica that Patel, who appears to have recovered from the crash, may face charges by Monday, January 9. He said in the normal course, the CHP’s report would have been in by January 5.
Asked about the delay, he said, “The CHP has not completed the report because they are not under time pressure… When they do, we plan to file charges.”
Wagstaffe told indica that it had nothing to do with Patel being still under treatment at Stanford Hospital.
“Even if he [Patel] is going to be in the hospital for another month we would still review and make our charging decision,” he said. “We don’t have to wait until he is out of the hospital to file the charges.”
He added: “My only question is what makes CHP believe it was an intentional act.”
The family of Neha Bubna Patel, who earlier lived in Fremont, California which has a large Indian American population, was in shock but declined to talk about the case.
While uncle Bipin Bubna refused to comment, mother Poonam Bubna sent a quick text to indica: “We’re not interested in talking to anyone. Please don’t contact us again. Thanks for understanding!.” Father Sashi Bubna sounded angry and sad, and while declining to discuss the matter, said it has been three days since he has met his daughter.
Patel, a radiologist, works at the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Pasadena.
In a statement, his employer said, “Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family. We are extremely grateful there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further, as this incident is under investigation.”
Wagstaffe told indica about parallels with another incident involving the same spot.
“Strange to say, we had a case like this not far away from here… in 2002 Eddie Rapoza drove off a couple of miles south of Highway 1. He, along with his pregnant wife and son, decided to drive over the cliff, Just before the cliff, he opened the door and jumped out and was injured seriously. He lived and his wife and two children died. He was prosecuted, We convicted him of three counts of murder.”
Wagstaffe clarified that this case was different.
“Here we are not saying [it was] murder because they all lived,” Wagstaffe said. “In this case, when I saw on the television news the height and how flat it was at the bottom, I was stunned. Four of them walked out. That was miraculous.”
According to the “Los Angeles Times,” a neighbor in Pasadena called the Patel family “beautiful, idyllic… [with] no indication of issues.”
“It’s so strange because he is a great guy. Maybe it was a moment of insanity.” Roger Newmark told the “Los Angeles Times.”
The Patels had moved to the neighborhood five years ago, and were often seen walking with their children and giving cookies to neighbors, the paper reported.
“He’s just so present. Dharmesh and I would wave ‘hi.’ But he would always come over and have a conversation. He was always happy and ready to talk,” another neighbor, Sarah Walker, told the newspaper.
