Tesla driver involved in crash charged with attempted murder

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Authorities have charged a California man with attempted murder for intentionally driving his Tesla, with his family inside, off a cliff.

Dharmesh Patel, 41, was behind the wheel of a car that went off Devil's Slide; a 250-foot cliff in San Mateo County; on Jan. 2nd, nearly killing himself, his wife and their two young children.

Investigators quickly determined that neither the Tesla's self-driving mode nor mechanical failure played a part in the crash. They soon began focusing on Patel, a doctor from Pasadena.

Once the investigation concluded, prosecutors filed three counts of attempted murder against Patel; two of those include special allegations of domestic violence and intent to cause great bodily injury.

Miraculously, all four passengers survived the harrowing plunge down the cliff and authorities rescued from the scene.

Patel had been hospitalized since the crash, but has now moved to a jail facility ahead of the charges being filed.