New London — The U.S. Coast Guard Academy released a statement on its Facebook page Monday regarding the two cadets from the country of Georgia who were the victims of an early Saturday crash in New Jersey.

The statement reads: “The CGA community is in mourning as we remember two cadets from the Republic of Georgia, First Class Cadet Soso Makaridze and Third Class Cadet Bersarian Gorjoladze, who were lost in a tragic car accident early Saturday morning.”

The post also includes a statement from the Academy superintendent, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, saying, “Please keep Cadets Makaridze and Gorjoladze and their families in your thoughts and prayers. The loss of a member of the Academy Family is devastating under any circumstance, and to lose two exceptional young cadets at once in such a tragic accident is overwhelming. These young men were highly valued members of our Corps of Cadets. They served with honor and were proud emissaries of their Nation. They touched everyone they encountered in a unique way and they will be missed by cadets, faculty and staff alike.”

The U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Georgia, George Norland, also released a statement saying that “the entire staff of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi were deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of Georgian military cadets Besarion Gorjoladze and Soso Makaridze ... Both were Georgian patriots committed to advancing their nation’s security and had been selected by the Georgian Armed Forces to receive coast guard education in the United States. The United States Embassy extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and military colleagues of Cadets Gorjoladze and Makaridze at this trying time.”

Academy spokesman David Santos on Sunday released the names of the victims along with the name of the driver of the vehicle, First Class Cadet Joel MacArthur, of Oley, Pa., who was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital over the weekend.

The crash occurred just after midnight Saturday on Route 31, north of Trenton, N.J.

The investigation into the crash has revealed that the Chevy Cobalt driven by MacArthur, was traveling south while a Ford Focus driven by 28-year-old Devon Tomb, of Flanders, N.J., was traveling north. The cars collided in the northbound lane, causing Tomb’s car to leave the roadway. MacArthur’s car came to a stop in the middle of the road.

On Monday, Hopewell Chief of Police Lance Maloney told The Day that Makaridze was the front seat passenger in MacArthur’s car and Gorjoladze was sitting in the back seat.

MacArthur was extricated from the vehicle and taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. Makaridze was pronounced dead at the scene, and Gorjoldaze was extricated from the car and flown to the medical center, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

Tomb and his passenger, Christine Thompson, 27, also of Flanders, were hospitalized with injuries.

Last week, first class cadets at the academy took part in billet night, during which they found out their first assignments after graduation in May. It was announced that Makaridze would be returning to his home country to serve in the Georgian Air Force. On his Facebook page, Makaridze posted a picture from billet night of him and a fellow cadet with the caption “Future Officers of Georgian Air Force and Army.” On Facebook, he’d listed his hometown as the country’s capital of Tbilisi and one of his profile pictures is of him standing in Times Square in New York City.

On Gorjoladze’s Facebook page, he listed the New England Patriots and the soccer team Real Madrid under sports that he liked, and Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and Argentine tango composer Ástor Piazzolla as musicians he liked. In one of his profile pictures Gorjoladze was standing in the wardroom of a submarine.

Academy cadets are currently on spring break. All other cadets were notified of the deaths over the weekend. Counseling will be offered and memorial services planned after they return to the New London campus on March 15.

The crash remains under investigation by the Hopewell Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.

j.bergman@theday.com

Twitter: JuliaSBergman