Editor’s note: This story contains discussion of suicide. If you are in distress, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day at 988, or visit 988lifeline.org for more resources.

Jose Perez was floating in San Francisco Bay, a few seconds after the moment of impact. He was face down in the water, he knew he couldn’t move, and the deep breath he had taken was starting to run out.

After what “felt like an eternity” in the bay floating on his own, the 35-year-old firefighter from Chicago was rescued. Medical staff from the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon raced out and flipped Perez face up, where he was flooded with the sounds of everyone calling for help. Perez’s firefighter instincts kicked in immediately.

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“In my line of work, I’m used to people yelling at me to come help them, to being the person responding. So in the back of my head, I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, where do I need to go?’” Perez told SFGATE. “But then I’m like, ‘No, they’re yelling for you, dummy.’”

It’s been 10 days since Perez boarded a boat to start the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, the iconic San Francisco race that starts with competitors jumping off a boat deck for a swim in the bay. He is still at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he was taken shortly after the accident on June 1. A fellow triathlete jumped into the bay right after he did and landed directly on his head, injuring his spine and instantly paralyzing him.

In an interview with SFGATE from his hospital bed Tuesday, Perez said there is “definitely a long road” ahead of him, all because of something that he feels could have been avoided if race officials had taken the proper care.

“I honestly feel like this was one of the least organized races I’ve probably ever been a part of,” Perez said.

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Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon race officials have declined several SFGATE interview requests in the past week and have yet to comment publicly on what happened, outside of an unattributed statement provided to SFGATE and other media outlets. When declining an interview request this week, the race sent an additional follow-up statement from an unnamed spokesperson.

But Perez has a clear knowledge of what happened to him, because he was conscious the whole time. 

Athletes compete in the swim portion of the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on June 1, 2025, in San Francisco.

The first “red flag,” as he put it, came from seeing the race still soliciting........

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