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The Californian doctor accused of the attempted murder of his wife and two young children by intentionally driving his Tesla off the side of a 250-foot cliff gave his neighbors poinsettias on Christmas Eve, days before the accident.
Footage from a neighbor’s doorbell camera shows Dr. Dharmesh A. Patel, 42, walking down the street to deliver the red plants to his neighbors in Pasadena, even though the family was not home at the time. moment.
The move was not out of the ordinary for Patel, who was often seen pushing his four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter in his stroller with his wife Neha, 41. The radiologist even gave the neighbors cookies. who described the family at the end of the cul-de-sac as “beautiful and idyllic”.
But this image of a happy family was dashed when Patel, a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Pasadena, was charged with intentionally trying to kill his wife and two children.
The Californian doctor charged with the attempted murder of his wife and two young children by intentionally driving his Tesla off the side of a 250-foot cliff gave his neighbors poinsettias on Christmas Eve (pictured), days before the crash .
The move was not out of the ordinary for Patel, who was often seen pushing his four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter in his stroller with his wife Neha, 41 (pictured together).
The radiologist even gave out cookies to the neighbors, who described the family at the end of the cul-de-sac as “beautiful and idyllic.” In the photo: the family home in Pasadena.
Patel is accused of intentionally driving his white Tesla Model Y off a cliff known as Devil’s Slide near San Francisco on Monday during a trip north.
Miraculously, all four family members, Patel, his wife Neha, and their four-year-old and seven-year-old children, survived without serious injury.
The doctor and his family remain at Stanford Hospital and Patel will be booked into the San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after he is released, the California Highway Patrol said.
Now, details have emerged about what appeared to be the family’s ‘idyllic’ lifestyle: Patel was often seen playing with his children and they sent Christmas cards with their smiling family out front.
“They’re a beautiful, idyllic family, there’s no hint of trouble,” Roger Newmark, who has lived in the quiet cul-de-sac for more than 40 years, told the outlet. The Los Angeles Times. ‘He’s so weird because he’s such a great guy. Maybe it was a moment of madness.
Police were never called for domestic disturbances at Patel’s home, but in 2017, police were called to his address nine times in response to burglar alarms and reports of suspicious people in the vicinity.
The incidents were either called false alarms or canceled by police, according to records seen by the LA Times. The two incidents of suspicious persons were reported as ‘missing on arrival’.
Patel is accused of intentionally driving his white Tesla Model Y off a cliff known as Devil’s Slide near San Francisco on Monday during a trip north. Miraculously, all four family members, Patel, his wife Neha, and their four-year-old and seven-year-old children (pictured together), survived without serious injury.
The white Tesla is seen at the bottom of the cliff in Devils Side on Monday after the accident.
Rescuers work to recover a wrecked Tesla sedan that had plunged off a cliff on Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County, California, on Monday.
The car was traveling north on Highway 1 near San Francisco on Monday morning. Witnesses said they saw Patel make a U-turn and drive toward the dirt area before plunging off the cliff.
Aside from incidents reported in 2017, life for the Patels appeared to be “idyllic,” and their neighbors said the couple were always willing to talk to them.
Video from a Ring camera, obtained by the LA Times, shows Patel handing out poinsettias to his neighbors on Christmas Eve. He was overheard talking to a woman who was house-sitting for a friend who had gone on vacation.
“I’m Dharmesh,” he told the woman, adding that he lived across the street, where his white Tesla was parked outside the garage. ‘Can I leave it? [the poinsettia] at the front door?
A neighbour, Sarah Walker, told the newspaper: ‘He is so present. Dharmesh and I used to say ‘Hello’, but he would always come over and we would talk. He was always happy and willing to talk.
This image from video provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office shows a rescue helicopter after a Tesla plunged off a cliff in Northern California.
View from the rescue helicopter after a vehicle carrying two adults and two children plunged off a cliff in Devil’s Slide, San Mateo County, California, on Monday.
Rescuers initially hailed the family’s survival as a “miracle” after the Tesla sedan plummeted down a notorious cliff Monday along Pacific Coast Highway near an area called Devil’s Slide that is known for crashes. fatal.
Firefighters were forced to pull the family out of the rubble. They used a rope system to carry the children off the cliff in a rescue basket while the parents were hoisted up by helicopter.
Initially, there were questions about whether the car, which is famous for its self-driving technology, had gone rogue and mistakenly run the family off the road.
Now, some are wondering if the vehicle, which has airbags adjacent to the two front seats as well as in front of them, really saved them.
The move was not out of the ordinary for Patel, who was often seen pushing his four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter in his stroller with his wife Neha, 41 (pictured together).
Police on Tuesday charged Patel with attempted murder and child abuse, alleging the incident was an attempted murder-suicide gone wrong.
The case brought back memories of a 2018 tragedy when a woman intentionally crashed into another Northern California cliff in an SUV with her wife and six adopted children. They were all killed.
The accident in Mendocino County occurred just days after Washington state authorities opened an investigation into allegations that Jennifer Hart’s children were being neglected.
Investigators are looking into Patel’s motive and police did not say whether detectives were able to interview him.
“I have no idea what his thought pattern was,” he said.
Investigators do not have to present the case to prosecutors until Patel is jailed.
“They are not under pressure because suspect Patel remains hospitalized and therefore can investigate the case further,” San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in a statement.
Patel is a radiology doctor at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles.
“Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family,” the statement said. “We are very grateful that there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further as this incident is under investigation.”