"Barefoot bandit" Colton Harris-Moore, a notorious teenage fugitive who has been on the run for nearly two years, was arrested in the Bahamas, according to media reports Monday.

The teen, 19, was captured after a brief boat chase near Harbour Island, which ended when police shot out the engine of Harris-Moore's boat.

A Bahamas police source told wire service NewsCore: “He was caught off a place called Harbour Island, which is part of Eleuthera. He was in his boat, which we believe was the same one he stole last week.

Island police have been searching for him since he allegedly crash-landed a stolen plane a week ago on nearby Great Abaco Island.

Harris-Moore is suspected of stealing cars, boats and at least five planes - including the aircraft he allegedly stole in Indiana and flew to the islands off Florida's coast, despite a lack of formal flight training.

He has been on the run since 2008, when he escaped from a juvenile halfway house in Renton, Washington, after pleading guilty to three counts of burglary and being sentenced to three years.

He was called the "barefoot bandit" because he was without shoes when he allegedly broke into houses.