RIDGEFIELD PARK -- A man who shot himself on the New Jersey Turnpike Saturday night had his dead wife in the trunk, police said.

Franklin Osgood, 61, of Providence, R.I., was found at 9:36 p.m. in his car with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he led police on a brief chase on the Turnpike in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey State Police said in a Facebook post.

After State Police troopers searched Osgood's 2007 black Dodge Charger, they found the dead body of his wife, Mary Jo, in the trunk, police said. Also found in the car was a semi-automatic handgun in the middle console.

Franklin Osgood was a former officer with the Providence Police Department who retired in 2007, the city's police chief, Hugh Clements, said at a news conference, according to WPRI-TV.

Troopers were on alert for Osgood after Providence police contacted them shortly after 9 p.m. to report that Osgood was a murder suspect and considered "armed and dangerous," police said. Providence police believed he may be on the Turnpike.

About 40 minutes later, a trooper spotted Osgood's Charger on the northbound side of the Turnpike near exit 18W, State Police said. Osgood refused to pull over when troopers attempted to stop him.

He eventually lost control of his car near milepost 117.1, struck a metal guardrail and then crashed into a State Police trooper patrol car, police said. The trooper involved in the crash suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

Osgood was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when troopers approached his vehicle. He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was pronounce dead at 11:32 p.m.

Mary Jo Osgood was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:25 a.m., police said.

The investigation of her death is being handled by the Providence Police Department.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.