Photo by payal.jhaveri.

Two police officers were killed after a plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Ocean City, Md. this weekend, the officers’ police department confirmed in a statement.

“Both officers were very dedicated and courageous both on and off duty,” the statement from the Ocean City Police Department reads. “Their love of life was clearly demonstrated in their professional and personal pursuits. They exemplified the finest character and their passing is a tremendous loss to the Ocean City Police Department family. As we deal with this difficult time, we ask that you respect the privacy of their families and peers.”

The single-engine plane crashed around 4 p.m. Sunday, the Daily Times of Salisbury, Md. reports:

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a plane having engine trouble fly over the beach from the west around 4 p.m. Several witnesses said they heard the engine sputter and then stop before the aircraft spiraled into the ocean about 500 yards offshore. The crash was about a mile south of the Delaware state line.

Video of the crash, which may be disturbing to some readers, shows the plane hitting the water nose first.

The bodies of the two police officers, 43-year-old Thomas J. Geoghegan Jr. and 27-year-old Joshua D. Adickes, were recovered today. Geoghegan owned the plane and was likely piloting it, the Daily Times reports.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.