Authorities have identified the two drivers who were killed Sunday in a car crash in North Bergen, New Jersey, as several others who were injured remain hospitalized.

Officials said the crash happened after a police lieutenant began following one of the drivers.

2 killed in North Bergen, N.J., crash, officials say

The crash occurred just after 11:15 p.m. on Tonnelle Avenue between 50th and 51st streets.

A North Bergen police lieutenant in a marked vehicle began following a Honda Accord after the driver – identified as 20-year-old Joseph Aziz, of Jersey City – allegedly committed a traffic violation at Tonnelle and 70th Street, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.

Officials say shortly after the lieutenant began pursuing the Accord, Aziz collided with a Toyota Corolla. According to investigators, Aziz was speeding.

Aziz and the driver of the Corolla, identified as 24-year-old North Bergen resident Brian Rivera, both suffered serious injuries and later died.

A passenger in the Accord was injured and has since been released from the hospital, officials said. Three passengers in the Corolla were also injured and remain hospitalized as of Tuesday, according to officials.

The investigation is ongoing.

"I just couldn't believe it"

A vigil honoring Rivera was held Tuesday near the scene of the crash.

"I just couldn't believe it, man," friend Hancy Moscoso said. "He was a great dude. Definitely didn't deserve to go out this way."

"I didn't believe it at first," friend Kevin Rodriquez said. "I just rushed over here."  

Loved ones say Rivera was driving his younger brother and friends, who had just finished playing soccer.

"When I look, I see the crash ... They took three guys from that one," witness Angel Luis Benitez said. "They were playing soccer. They got, like, a uniform."  

Until a few months ago, Rivera worked at a sneaker store on Central Avenue in Jersey City. The owner gave coworkers a day off to deal with their grief.

Rivera's friends and relatives say he was starting a career as a police dispatcher and was eager to move up the ranks in law enforcement.