 Bauer grew up in Onamia, Minnesota and he is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.In July 2009, Bauer and two companions (Joshua Fattal and Sarah Shourd) were arrested by Iranian border guards after straying into Iran while hiking in northern Iraq near the Iranian border.The three Americans were held in prison in Iran on bogus espionage charges for more than two years before their release in September 2011.