A California man was arrested with attempted murder and child abuse charges after officials said that he intentionally drove a Tesla off a cliff on Pacific Coast Highway with three passengers inside, per NBC News.
According to reports, the Tesla, driven by Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 41, plunged 250 to 300 feet off a cliff and landed at Devil’s Slide, a rocky beach area in San Mateo County. All of the vehicle’s occupants survived the crash.
“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the state’s highway patrol said in a statement on Tuesday, per CNN. “There has been no determination as to what driving mode the Tesla was in; however, that does not appear to be a contributing factor in this incident.”
In addition to the driver, an adult woman, a 9-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl were in the car when it plummeted off the cliff.
According to Brian Pottenger, the incident commander for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the children’s car seats might have been what saved them. The children had moderate injuries, he explained, per NBC News.
ABC7 reports that the vehicle flipped a few times before landing on its wheels at the edge of the coastline.
“We were actually very shocked when we found survivable victims in the vehicle. So that actually was a hopeful moment for us,” Pottenger said, per NBC News.
The adult passengers were extracted from the vehicle with a helicopter, reports The Washington Post. The children were brought up the cliff in a rescue basket, using a rope system.
Patel will be booked into the San Mateo County jail once he is released from the hospital, according to the Post.