Quote: Colton Harris-Moore had been caught early on Sunday on the island of Eleuthera, a police source told the Associated Press.
The hunt turned to the Bahamas when he flew in an allegedly stolen plane from the US and crash-landed.
It was the latest in a series of suspected thefts of aircraft, boats and cars by Harris-Moore.
He has been dubbed the Barefoot Bandit as he is thought to have carried out many of his alleged offences with no shoes on.
The Cessna 400 light aircraft allegedly stolen from an airport in Bloomington, Indiana, came down off Abaco Island in the Bahamas.
AP said police picked up his trail on Eleuthera after recovering a power boat allegedly stolen from a marina on Abaco, some 40 miles (65 km away).
The teenager has been on the run from US police since 2008 and is accused of at least three journeys in stolen planes despite never having flying lessons.
Just days ago, the FBI announced a $10,000 reward for Harris-Moore's capture.
Frequent run-ins with the law culminated in a three-year sentence of detention, but after early release he absconded from a halfway house in April 2008, and allegedly began a spree of burglaries.
He is accused of repeatedly breaking into empty holiday homes, taking food, stealing electronic items and even using stolen credit cards to get deliveries of items essential for surviving in the woods. | 
