“They’re a beautiful, idyllic family with no indication of problems,” The Los Angeles Times’ Roger Newmark said.
New York: Neighbours of the Indian-American, who ‘intentionally’ drove a sedan off California cliff with his wife and children inside, have expressed their shock at the unfortunate incident, calling it a “likely moment of insanity”.
Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 41, a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Pasadena, was arrested this week on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after driving his Tesla off a 250-foot cliff on purpose.
“They’re a beautiful, idyllic family with no indication of problems,” The Los Angeles Times’ Roger Newmark said.
“It’s strange because he’s such a nice guy. Perhaps it was a fit of insanity.”
The Patels had moved to the neighbourhood five years before and were frequently seen walking their children and handing out cookies to neighbours, according to the paper.
“He’s always there. Dharmesh and I would wave hello, but he would always come over and talk. “He was always cheerful and willing to talk,” another neighbour, Sarah Walker, told The Times.
According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), it was alerted to “a vehicle over the side of the cliff on State Route-1” around 10.50 a.m. on January 2.
When the CHP and other responding agencies arrived on the scene, they discovered a white Tesla that had fallen 250-300 feet off the cliff, according to the release.
Authorities managed to reach the vehicle and recover two adults and two children, aged seven and four, who were rushed “to a local hospital with serious injuries”.
According to a Pasadena city manager spokeswoman, neighbours described the Patel family as “perfect,” with no reports of domestic violence.
“Investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act based on the evidence collected,” the CHP said in a statement.
