Jeff Bauman was a virtual unknown before April 15, 2013. Since that fateful day, however, Bauman has become an inspiration for many and a symbol of the kind of resilience that mirrors the notion of “Boston Strong.” On the second day of the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial, Bauman was the second witness called to testify by the prosecution.

Now Bauman is widely recognized and not just because he’s a double amputee, the man Carlos Arredondo – the cowboy hat-wearing individual who rushed into the chaos that was Boylston Street after the two pressure-cooker bombs exploded – can be seen aiding in this now-iconic photo.

He’s been invited to Capitol Hill as an honored guest for the State of the Union address and he’s the author behind the inspirational memoir Stronger. 

On Thursday, Bauman took the stand and described the events that led to his severe injuries as well as the role he played in helping to identify and ultimately capture Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Bauman was attending his first Boston Marathon to cheer on his girlfriend, now wife, Erin, who was participating also for the first time. He and some of Erin’s friends made their way from Newton to Boston in order to better track her progress and support her along the way.

But while standing close to where the first bomb would explode, Bauman grew oddly suspicious of one of the faces in the normally celebratory crowd.

I was with my brother and was like, that’s the kid I saw. That’s him

In fact, this man actually nudged Bauman as he made his way through the densely packed sidewalk.

“This looks very suspicious,” Bauman said when describing his throught process. “He didn’t look like everybody that was there. He was alone… he didn’t look like he was having fun.”

When Bauman happened to look back and find that the man was no longer there, he did notice that a backpack was in his place, completely unattended.

“I thought it was weird,” he added, “like at the airport if you see any unattended luggage you notify the authorities.”

A blinding flash and two loud fireworks-like bangs later, Bauman was on the ground looking at his legs, which he describe as “pure carnage,” recounting several moments in his life because he thought this was the day he’d die.

When he tried to sit up to assess the situation and possibly help others, Arredondo swept in and threw him into a wheelchair.

An ambulance ride and three surgeries later, Bauman woke up in a Boston Medical Center bed. He knew instantly his legs were gone but he “only had one goal at one point: to tell whatever I knew.”

FBI and State Police were brought to his bedside. He wrote down information specific to that suspicious-looking man on Boylston and eventually removed his breathing tube to provide more details.

Bauman remembered the man standing at about 6’3″ tall with an athletic build wearing a hat pulled down real low, Aviator sunglasses, a 5 o’clock shadow and a hoodie with a black bag.

He spent upwards of an hour, he said, helping create a composite sketch that authorities were able to cross reference with photos they had obtained.

“The first time I did see him was on the news,” said Bauman. “I was still in the hospital…I was with my brother and was like, that’s the kid I saw. That’s him.”

It’s impossible to tell how long it would’ve taken the authorities, and Greater Boston locals, to find Tsarnaev had his description not been provided by Bauman. Though something of a celebrity, Bauman was as modest as each of the witnesses called thus far, surely humbled by the scale of pain and havoc and the journey he and others have made on the road to recovery.

On Amazon, Bauman’s book boasts a 4.8-star rating out of 5 after 187 reviews.

Featured image via Rklawton/ CC BY 2.0

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