After two years on the run from the US authorities the suspected thief known as the Barefoot Bandit has finally been stopped in his tracks.

Colton Harris-Moore, 19, who was given his nickname after allegedly leaving shoeless prints at a series of crime scenes in the US, was arrested in the Bahamas. Police claim that he crash-landed in the archipelago a week ago after stealing an aeroplane in the US and making a 1,000-mile flight. They allege that since arriving in the Bahamas he has been implicated in at least seven burglaries on Abaco island.

Harris-Moore is suspected in the US of stealing cash in innumerable burglaries, and taking several cars and boats as well as at least five single-engine planes despite a lack of any formal flight training. His alleged exploits have resulted in a string of arrest warrants issued by local forces in the US as well as catapulting him to celebrity status. He has thousands of Facebook followers, a fan club selling "Run, Colton, Run" T-shirts and songs have been written about him.

Growing up just north of Seattle, Harris-Moore gained his first theft conviction at 12 and in 2007 was given a four-year sentence in juvenile detention. He escaped from an open window and went on the run after being moved to a halfway house.

The 1.96-metre (6ft 5in) tall teenager evaded US authorities, in part because of his constant movement and also because the only people seeking him were local police forces – a lack of any serious crimes meant the FBI had little interest in him.

He was arrested before dawn on the Bahamas' northern Eleuthera island, a police official said. Local officers picked up his trail in Eleuthera after recovering a 13-metre (43ft) power boat stolen from a marina on Great Abaco, 40 miles to the north, near to where Harris-Moore had allegedly ditched a single-engine plane stolen from Bloomington Indiana. Bahamas police had warned that the teenager should be considered armed and dangerous, but since escaping from the juvenile detention centre he has not carried out any violent acts.

Harris-Moore's mother, Pam Kohler, said last week that many of the allegations made against her son were false but that she was hoping he would eventually reach a country without an extradition agreement with the US. "I'm glad he's able to enjoy beautiful islands, but they extradite. It doesn't help matters at all," she said.