A doctor who deliberately drove his Tesla off a California cliff has been filmed handing his neighbor a Christmas present just days before he crashed his car off the highway.
Dr Dharmesh Patel, 41, was taken to hospital on Wednesday as neighbors of the “idyllic” family struggle to understand what caused the horrific incident.
“They’re a nice, quirky family, no problem,” said Roger Newmark, a longtime Lomay Place resident. This was reported by the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s weird because he’s a great guy. Maybe it’s a crazy time,” said he and Patel, his wife Neha, 41, and their children — a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy — moved to the neighborhood five years ago.
According to the newspaper, the radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles was also a doting father and was often seen playing with his children in the close community.
A video of the call, released by the LA Times, also shows Patel dropping off a poinsettia plant at a neighbor’s house on Christmas Eve — before he left for vacation in Northern California.
“I’m Dharmesh,” he said cheerfully to a relative who was taking care of the house in the absence of the owners – who lived next door, where the white Tesla was visible.
“Can I leave him? [the poinsettia] at the front door?” says Patel.
Newmark said the Patels had previously sent Christmas cards featuring photos of the smiling family, who still had a decorated tree at their home, the LA Times reported.
According to reports, “Love falls the most” on the bed in front of the door.
Patel, 41, will be charged with attempted murder and child abuse after he is released from Stanford Hospital, authorities said.
He is accused of intentionally and inexplicably driving his electric vehicle about 250 feet from the famous stretch of Pacific Coast Highway known as “Devil’s Slip” around 10:50 a.m. Monday.
Another neighbor described Patel as “just now”.
Sarah Walker told the newspaper: “Dharmesh and I used to wave hello, but he always came and talked. He was always happy and ready to talk.”
He added: “I really can’t believe it. No one believes it. They felt like newlyweds. The way they interacted and looked at each other made it seem like they were meant to be together.
His wife also showed no outward signs of discord on social media, where she shared adorable photos of the children as they grew up over the years.
Law enforcement never responded to the domestic disturbance at the Patel home, a spokeswoman for the Pasadena city manager told the LA Times.
Police have responded to reports of burglaries and suspicious persons nine times since 2017, the news agency reported.
But all incidents were listed as false alarms, unsubstantiated or dismissed, the LA Times said, citing police reports.
A motive for the alleged crime has not been released, but the California Highway Patrol “developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act” and arrested Patel, officials said.
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened to learn of the traffic accident involving one of our physicians and his family.
“We are very grateful that there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further as this incident is under investigation,” he added.
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