A Tesla that plummeted 250 feet off a cliff on California's Pacific Coast Highway onto a rocky beach earlier this week may not have been an accident, as police shared Tuesday that the man driving the car may have done it intentionally.
Inside the car were the man’s wife and two young children, all of whom survived the crash and were rescued by first responders, the San Mateo Sheriff's Office noted in a press release.
The driver, Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 41, of Pasadena, was arrested after the rescue. The California Highway Patrol said that he will be booked on attempted murder and child abuse charges once he is released from the hospital where his non-life-threatening injuries are being treated.
The rescue of the 4-year-old and 7-year-old inside the car was thanks to firefighters with Cal Fire’s Coastside Fire Protection District, who rappelled down the cliff and reached the vehicle. A helicopter saved Patel and his wife, airlifting them to safety.
Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief with Cal Fire’s Coastside Fire Protection District, spoke about the incident on Monday, saying that the crash was not uncommon, but their survival was.
“We were actually very shocked when we found survivable victims in the vehicle. So that actually was a hopeful moment for us,” Brian Pottenger said.
An investigation was launched into what could have caused the car to go over the edge, and the highway patrol shared that probable cause was found which led to Patel's arrest.
“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the agency said in a statement.
Authorities are planning on booking Patel on three counts of attempted murder and two counts of child abuse once he is released, Officer Andrew Barclay shared with NBC News.
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