The Highway Patrol says a man drove his Tesla intentionally off a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean south of San Francisco in Pacifica, reports ABC7 News.
His 4-year-old daughter, 9-year-old son, wife and himself miraculously survived the incident.
“This was nothing short of a miracle that they survived,” said Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief with the Coastside Fire Protection Dist, to Fox2.
Authorities say the incident happened Monday morning when the car plummeted more than 250 feet off an area known as Devil’s Slide, the scene of numerous accidents.
Crews using the jaws of life pulled the kids out the back window and brought them off the cliff using a basket and a rope system. The adults had to be brought off the cliff using a helicopter and appeared more seriously injured than the children.
Authorities arrested the driver, Dharmesh A. Patel of Pasadena, has been placed under arrest for attempted murder and child abuse.
“CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene,” the CHP said in a statement, according to NBC Bay Area. “Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”
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