A man taken hostage by the alleged Boston bombers after he was car jacked was able to escape after they stopped to buy cans of Red Bull at a gas station, MailOnline can reveal.
The carjacking victim, whose name has not been revealed, has told authorities that being Chinese almost certainly saved his life, saying that the brothers told him they would not kill him because he was 'not American.'
The victim was able to jump out of the car and flee while Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, looked to buy cans of the energy drink and chocolate bars.
From interviews with the staff at both gas stations and court records, MailOnline has been able to piece together the frantic events of the early hours of last Friday.
The terrifying sequence of events began when Tamerlan carjacked a Mercedes SUV car at gun point barely 40 minutes after MIT campus police officer Sean Collier was killed as he sat in his patrol car.
Tamerlan jumped into the passenger seat of the Mercedes and told the driver: 'Did you hear about the Boston explosion... I did that.'
Dzhokhar was caught on a CCTV camera entering an all night garage with his face partially hidden by a grey hooded sweatshirt.
But he left empty handed after his brother Tamerlan hammered on the glass front door of the gas station kiosk saying: 'We've got to go.'
His intervention came after the victim of the car jacking managed to escape and run across to another all night gas station where he pleaded for help.
After the shootout: Investigators take a look at a car driven by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects after they exchanged gunfire on a residential street in Watertown
The victim, who is Chinese and his early 20s, was paralyzed with fear after bursting into the Mobil station where cashier Tarek Ahmed was working.
The terrified victim said: 'Some men are trying to shoot me. They have a bomb and guns.'
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline Egyptian born Ahmed, 44, said the victim was so scared he could barely stand and collapsed on the floor.
Witness: Mobil station cashier Tarek Ahmed was working when the terrified victim burst in after escaping his captors
Ahmed said that when the man went behind the counter to hide, he knew he was telling the truth.
Ahmed dialed 911 and within minutes the area was flooded with police.
The dramatic escape of the carjacking victim was the beginning of the end for the alleged bombers as they were found by police and involved in a fierce gun battle.
Tamerlan was shot multiple times, while his brother was later found cowering in a covered-up boat and taken into custody.
After encountering Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the terrified victim was shown a gun and forced into the passenger seat.
After picking up his brother, and transferring guns and bombs into the trunk, the car spend off.
Tamerlan was driving and his 19-year-old brother was in the rear passenger seat. The victim was in the front passenger seat.
After being forced to hand over $45, they drove to an ATM where $800 was withdrawn from the victim's account.
All three headed towards an all night Shell garage on Memorial Drive in Cambridge where Tamerlan pulled up alongside one of the gas pumps.
Dzhokhar went inside - and was captured on the CCTV camera at the front of the store.
The photograph was released by the FBI hours after the impromptu stop and gave law enforcement and members of the public a much clearer view of the alleged teen bomber.
Last stand: A police officer points his rifle in Watertown, Massachusetts, as authorities hunt for the Boston bombing suspects
Deadly shootout: In a gun battle where over 200 shots were fired, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev was hit multiple times
The image with Dzhokhar wearing a hoodie was clearer than those released earlier by the FBI which been taken prior to the bombs going off at the finish line of the marathon.
Mohammed Malah, 46, was working the night shift but paid little attention to the customer who head to the row of fridge where the drinks were stored.
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Moroccan born Malah, who speaks little English, told colleagues that he did not take any notice of Tsarnaev when he came into the all night store.
He only realized he had been with the alleged bomber when the FBI swarmed into garage in the early hours of the morning last Friday.
They had been alerted to the garage stop by the carjacking victim who had managed to escape and run across the road to a neighboring Mobil garage.
Call of duty: Police from several different agencies responded after MIT police officer Sean Collier was gunned down as he sat in his cruiser
Cashier Tarek Ahmed described how the victim burst into kiosk.
'He was shaking, absolutely terrified and started shouting that some men had guns and they were trying to kill him,' he said.
'He said they had a bomb. He was so scared that he could not stand up. He fell over and at first I thought he was drunk.
'But then he got up and pushed his way to the back of the counter and said 'you have to hide me.'
He kept saying there were men out there who wanted to kill him. I'ver never seen anyone so scared.
Ahmed said the man hid behind a metal door in a back room and he again pleaded with him to call police.
Hunt: The events in the early morning hours of April 19 set a massive police search in place that resulted in the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19
'I rang 911 and told them what happened. Within three minutes there were police cars here.'
He added: I did not see who he was running from, but he was so scared.'
Police spoke with the victim and were able to get a description of the car and it license plate.
FBI agents recovered footage from the security camera at the entrance to the Shell garage.
Owner Alan Mendick:'The police came and we went through the CCTV footage.
'Yes, one of them came in here, but I am told before he could buy anything his brother came and hammered on the window and told him they had to go.
'He had some stuff in his hands but he just put it down and left. There are reports that he was shoplifting, but that's not true.'
Working alone: Officials now believe Tamerlan, right, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, left, were working alone
'His brother called him to come out before he could do anything.
'My cashier who was on duty is scared.He is really shaken up by it all.'
Malah's colleague Brahim Asseban,37, said: 'The manager was called and they told him to close the station down.
'They took the CCTV footage .The picture of the Tsarnaev in the grey hoodie was from the camera at the front door. Everyone who comes in is filmed,it is part of the security you have when open all night.
'Mohammed is a bit shaken up by it all. He said it was very busy that night, and he does not really remember him coming in.
Terror Attack: The two detonations went off near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 - returning the specter of terrorism to the United States for the first time since 9/11
Hiding place: This image, taken from a surveillance camera shows Dzhokhar Tsarnaev climbing into a boat Friday morning after a police gun battle. He was later found in the boat and captured
'Lots of people come in late at night but it has shaken him up.'
Asseban said Mohammed did not see the victim of the car jacking.
'He said one of the brothers, the younger one came in and looked at the Red Bull and candy bars.
The victim told FBI agents he managed to escape while Tamerlan became distracted as his brother was in the store shopping.
Neither brother made any attempt to kill the carjacking victim.
After speeding away along Memorial Drive the stolen car was spotted by police in Watertown having been given its licence plate and description.
Wounded: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, seen here moments after he was pulled from the boat where he was hiding, suffered a throat wound and a leg wound
They gave chase and in an ensuing gun battle where over 200 shots were fired 26 year old Tamerlan was hit multiple times.
He was run over by his brother who fled in the stolen SUV, later abandoning it and taking refuge in a covered up boat.
Police have said the believed the brothers were planning to go to New York with US officials convinced they were planning further bloodshed.
The pair had pressure cooker bomb, identical to those used in the marathon blasts, and home made grenades.