Attempted murder and other charges filed against father accused of driving off cliff with toddler daughters

A 47-year-old man accused of intentionally driving off Sunset Cliffs and into the ocean with his twin toddler daughters inside his pickup truck has been charged with attempted murder and other felonies, prosecutors said June 19.

He is being held in San Diego County Jail without bail and is expected to be arraigned Monday, June 22, on a 13-count criminal complaint, according to the county district attorney’s office. He will be arraigned via video conference at the San Diego Central Courthouse.

In addition to attempted murder, he faces charges including kidnapping, child abuse, child abduction, making criminal threats and burglary.

According to authorities, the man’s wife called 911 around 4:30 a.m. June 13 reporting that her husband had taken off with their 2-year-old twins and planned to drive his pickup off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

A sheriff’s dispatcher notified San Diego police and put out a description of the vehicle and family. After authorities tracked the pickup to the Sunset Cliffs area via cellphone signals, a police officer located it on Hill Street near Cornish Drive, according to police. As the officer approached, the truck sped off and plunged over a 30-foot rocky sea bluff.

A police K-9 officer used a 100-foot-long canine leash in his car to rappel down the cliff to rescue the family.

Medics took the father and daughters to hospitals for treatment of injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

A GoFundMe page created to raise money for the girls’ medical bills has raised more than $16,000 as of June 20.