Martin Whittier and Nate Brubaker, two filmmakers from the Baltimore and Washington D.C., area who are credited with advancing the region’s filmmaking industry, died in a car crash Thursday while driving back to Maryland from a production in Philadelphia.

Whittier and Brubaker were sitting in a BMW M2 that stalled in the middle lane of a dark stretch of I-95, Delaware State Police said. A box truck traveling south on I-95 near Churchman Road around 10:20 p.m. struck the car from behind, pushing it toward the right shoulder. The box truck then caught on fire and pinned the men inside the car.

Whittier, 37, from Havre De Grace, leaves behind a wife and two children. Brubaker, 27, of Halethorpe, leaves behind a fiancee. The pair had planned to wed in September.

Brubaker was considered a pioneer in virtual production filming. He was closely involved in creating the first all-digital LED wall in the Baltimore area, which is used to create sets in film productions, such as in Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” said Andrew Geraci, a friend and filmmaker.

“He worked his way up from nothing, just shooting videos, to owning and producing his own work at his own studio, which is pretty remarkable,” Geraci said. Brubaker owned Rock Shore Studios.

Whitter started as a Steadicam operator and director of photography before he started a rental camera equipment company in Baltimore called Charm Cine Rentals. He also owned rental company Liberty Camera in Philadelphia and Capital Camera in Alexandria, Virginia. He recently sold his company to spend more time with his family.

Whitter was known for helping young filmmakers who just started in the industry by giving large discounts on camera equipment rentals.

“He was always a very personable, very honorable, very humble individual,” Geraci said. “And he was always at the forefront of learning about new types of equipment and new stylizations and implementing that into his company. But he was more of a cornerstone with people because he knew everybody in the industry.”

Delaware State Police are investigating the crash. The driver of the truck was not injured.