--- title: "Man Allegedly Drives Tesla Off 250 Foot Cliff on Purpose, But Whole Family Survives" description: "According to officials, a man intentionally drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in California in an alleged attempt to murder his family." date: "2023-01-04" modified: "2023-01-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-cliff-attempted-murder" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "california" - "safety" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Man Allegedly Drives Tesla Off 250 Foot Cliff on Purpose, But Whole Family Survives ![According to officials, a man intentionally drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in California in an alleged attempt to murder his family.]() *\Image: Golden Gate Division Air Operations \* ## Off the Edge According to officials, a man intentionally drove his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in California in an alleged attempt to murder his family who were also in the vehicle, [*NBC News* reports](). Miraculously, the driver as well as his wife and two children survived the plummet without suffering life-threatening injuries — a testament to the electric carmaker's safety standards, even as it faces criticism on [many other fronts](). A [dramatic video]() shared by the Golden Gate Division Air Operations shows the smashed car at the bottom of the cliff, just feet away from the crashing waves. "We were actually very shocked when we found survivable victims in the vehicle," Brian Pottenger, the incident commander for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told *NBC*. "So that actually was a hopeful moment for us." ## Attempted Murder The incident occurred on Monday around 20 miles south of San Francisco off of the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. The 41-year-old driver, Dharmesh Arvind Patel, has since been arrested and will be charged with attempted murder and child abuse, according to California Highway Patrol. "Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act," the patrol said in a statement. Images taken by firefighters show the mangled remains of the white EV at the bottom of a rocky cliff. The four individuals were rescued by a helicopter crew. ## Safety First Responders were astonished by what they found. Pottenger also noted that it is "very, very rare" for people to survive such an ordeal, noting that the children's car seats likely played a role in saving their lives. According to a San Mateo County statement, the two children "were unharmed." "The damage to the vehicle would indicate that it hit, and then flipped several times," he added, as [quoted by *CNN*](). As for Tesla's [highly controversial Autopilot]() driver assistance feature, the highway patrol said that it likely wasn't a "contributing factor." **READ MORE:** [Tesla driver who plunged his family off California cliff did so on purpose, officials say]() \[*NBC News*\] **More on Autopilot:** *[The Director of "District 9" Says His Tesla's Window Spontaneously Shattered For No Reason]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()