A man who lost both legs in the Boston Marathon bombings helped the FBI identify one of the bombers after he woke up in the hospital under the influence of strong pain medication, asked for pen and paper and scribbled to his family that the bomber had looked directly at him.
Jeff Bauman, whose horrific injuries have been widely circulated in photographs, wrote to his brother that a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt looked directly at him as Jeff waited near the race's finish line and dropped a bag on the ground in the moments before the blast.
The victim's brother, Chris Bauman, told Bloomberg News that two minutes after his brother observed the man leaving the bag, the deadly blast ripped through the crowd.
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Injured: Responders help Jeff Bauman, in a wheel chair, after he was injured in an explosion near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Even as Jeff was in ICU, he assisted the FBI in identifying one of the suspects
Wanted: Images of Suspect One (left) and Suspect Two (right) were released by the FBI on Thursday at a press conference held in Boston
'He woke up under so much drugs, asked for a paper and pen and wrote, "bag, saw the guy, looked right at me,"' his brother, Chris, said on Wednesday in an interview.
After learning of his life-changing injuries and as he recovered in intensive care, Jeff was able to give a description of the bombing suspect to FBI officials.
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His description was used by law enforcement officials as they surveyed surveillance footage of the event.
Jeff Bauman, who was waiting near the end of the marathon to greet his girlfriend, Erin Hurley, who was running the race, was photographed immediately after the bombing as he was rushed in a wheelchair to the Boston Medical Center.
Footage: Suspects One (left) and Two (right) are wanted for questioning in relation to the Boston Marathon bombing of April 15th. FBI officials are appealing to the public to identify the two men
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In the new images released by the FBI, suspect one and suspect two are first seen walking in single file along Boylston Street after turning at the intersection of Gloucester. Suspect number two wearing a white hat was seen setting down a backpack at the site of the second explosion at the Forum restaurant
The 27-year-old lost both his legs below the knees.
His family discovered that Jeff was injured in the attack by seeing the horrific image of him being rushed to an ambulance by bystanders, that was widely circulated by the media.
His brother said that despite Jeff's terrible injuries and the amount of pain medication he is on, Jeff has amazingly been able to recount vivid details leading up to the blast.
'I’ve had many times alone with him, and yes, he told me every single detail,' Chris said.
A Facebook page has been established by friends of the family to support Jeff as he recovers.
Jeff is 'doing awesome, another successful surgery and he's talking, making jokes and in very good spirits,' a friend of the family wrote on the page.
Tragic: Jeff Bauman, 27, was waiting near the finish line of the race to greet his girlfriend who was competing in the marathon
The FBI released multiple images and three videos of two men designated as 'suspect one' and 'suspect two,' who are the chief persons of interest in the Monday bombings.
Both men are seen wearing backpacks in the images and video and investigators believe they planted explosive devices at two locations along the finish line of the race.
Making a direct appeal to the public, FBI Special Agent Richard DesLaurier asked for any information, however insignificant that could lead to them identifying and eventually speaking to these individuals who are wanted in connection with the terror attack which killed three and injured over 180 people.
These colors don't run: Carlos Arredondo, holding a bloodied American flag rescued from the carnage of the Boston blast, was among the crowd supporting soldiers running in memory of his son, who died in Iraq in 2004
One the marathon spectators photographed assisting Mr Bauman after the blast was Carlos Arredondo, who was in the crowd cheering on active duty soldiers who were running the marathon in memory of his son, Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo, who died in Iraq in 2004.
The father's other son, Brian, suffered from depression in the wake of his brother's death and committed suicide in 2011.
A group of 15 members of the Massachusetts National Guard participated in the marathon wearing their Army rucksacks, in a challenge known as the Tough Ruck, which raises money for the families of those who have died in service to their country.
Mr Arredondo, wearing a cowboy hat and a gray Tough Ruck t-shirt, was among the heroes who rushed toward the blast site and was seen seemingly pinching shut the femoral artery on one of Mr Bauman's severed legs.
Photos showed him, with bloodied hands, holding fast to Jeff as the victim was rushed to an ambulance.
'I kept talking to him. I kept saying,"Stay with me, stay with me,"' Mr Arredondo told the Portland Press Herald.