NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) – A man accused of helping his wife commit suicide by allowing her to drive the family minivan off a 300-foot cliff with their children inside pleaded guilty Wednesday to child endangerment in a deal that will likely spare him any prison time.

Victor Han, 35, admitted in Rockland County Court that he knew his wife was putting herself and their children in danger when he stepped outside the vehicle last June at a scenic overlook at Bear Mountain.

His 35-year-old wife, Hejin Han, drove the family’s Honda Odyssey off the cliff. She was killed, but the children, 5-year-old Ariana and 3-year-old Itana, were belted into car seats and survived without major injury.

State Supreme Court Justice William Kelly said the prosecution was recommending three years probation on Han’s guilty plea to one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Han, who is seeking full custody of the children, is currently seeing them at supervised visits, said prosecutor Louis Valvo.

Han, an architect who now lives in Queens, remained free on $40,000 bail pending his June 6 sentencing. The couple had made their home in Staten Island.

He had been accused of reckless endangerment, promoting a suicide and endangering children. The endangerment charge was the most serious and carried a maximum prison sentence of 28 months to seven years.

Han spent five days after his arrest in a psychiatric hospital involuntarily.

His lawyer, Lawrence Goldman, has repeatedly called the death “a tragic accident” and has denounced prosecutors for prosecuting Han. He said Han had “no idea, no expectation” that his wife was about to commit suicide

The complaint alleged that Han, who stepped out of the minivan just before the plunge, knew his wife planned to kill herself. In a statement to police, Han acknowledged that he had worried his wife was suicidal but said he got out only to take pictures.

He said that when the vehicle went over the edge, between two boulders placed to keep cars from skidding off the road, he called 911, ran down the cliff and rescued his daughters but could not revive his wife.

The girls are currently in family foster care, and a Staten Island family court has been determining whether their father can regain custody. He has been visiting them on a court-approved schedule, his lawyers have said.

Han has not spoken to reporters about the case. Mr. Goldman has said Han is “getting along with his life and his children … trying to be a good father.”