A California judge dismissed attempted murder charges against Dharmesh Patel, the doctor accused of driving his family off a cliff at Devil’s Slide in 2023.
The dismissal came Monday, July 6, 2026, after Patel completed a two-year mental health diversion program.
Patel had been charged after his Tesla went off Highway 1 along the San Mateo County coast with his wife and two young children inside.
The crash happened on January 2, 2023, near Devil’s Slide, a dangerous stretch of road south of San Francisco.
All four family members survived the fall, which AP described as about 250 feet. Patel, his wife and one child suffered serious injuries.
Prosecutors said Patel intentionally drove the vehicle off the cliff. Patel’s case later centered on his mental health at the time of the crash.
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the judge was required by California law to dismiss the charges once Patel successfully completed diversion.
The court also sealed the case and returned Patel’s passport, according to local reports.
Patel has not been convicted of a crime in the case.
Defense attorneys said Patel had major depressive disorder and suffered a mental health crisis before the crash.
Prosecutors said he had been experiencing paranoia and delusions, including fears involving his children, in the weeks before the incident.
After he entered diversion in 2024, Patel was ordered to live with his parents, continue treatment and comply with medication monitoring.
California’s mental health diversion law allows some defendants charged with felonies or misdemeanors to receive treatment instead of going to trial if they meet strict conditions.
The law says that if a defendant performs satisfactorily in diversion, the court must dismiss the charges.
The statute excludes some offenses, including murder, rape and certain sex crimes, from diversion. Attempted murder is not listed among the excluded offenses.
Wagstaffe said he did not blame the judge for the dismissal, but he criticized the law that allowed it.
He said attempted murder should be excluded from mental health diversion because of the seriousness of the charge.
The case is now closed under current law, but it continues to fuel debate over how courts should balance mental health treatment, public safety and accountability in serious criminal cases.