Jeff Bauman (pictured in wheelchair) lost both his legs in the explosion.
Nicole Belle and I were just talking about this yesterday - that it was likely some of the victims would be able to identify the bombers. Looks like Jeff Bauman gave detailed information to the authorities:
Minutes before the bombs blew up in Boston, Jeff Bauman looked into the eyes of the man who tried to kill him.
Just before 3 p.m. on April 15, Bauman was waiting among the crowd for his girlfriend to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. A man wearing a cap, sunglasses and a black jacket over a hooded sweatshirt looked at Jeff, 27, and dropped a bag at his feet, his brother, Chris Bauman, said in an interview.
Two and a half minutes later, the bag exploded, tearing Jeff’s legs apart. A picture of him in a wheelchair, bloodied and ashen, was broadcast around the world as he was rushed to Boston Medical Center. He lost both legs below the knee.
“He woke up under so much drugs, asked for a paper and pen and wrote, ‘bag, saw the guy, looked right at me,’” Chris Bauman said yesterday in an interview.
Those words may help crack the mystery of who perpetrated one of the highest-profile acts of terror in the U.S. since the 2001 assault on New York City and the Washington area, one that killed three people and wounded scores.
While still in intensive care, Jeff Bauman gave the FBI a description of the man he saw, his brother said. Bauman’s information helped investigators narrow down whom to look for in hours of video of the attack, he said.
The bureau released video images of two men yesterday. Both men have on hooded sweatshirts under dark jackets; one is wearing a light-colored baseball cap turned backward on his head, while the other is wearing a dark baseball cap facing forward. Both are carrying large backpacks.
“I’ve had many times alone with him, and yes, he told me every single detail,” Chris Bauman said.
Paul Bresson, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, declined to comment on specific tips in the continuing investigation. Two FBI agents interviewed at the Boston office declined to confirm or deny the account.
