Massive pick-up truck 1, joyriding teenager 0

A teenager driving a stolen car leads cops on a merry chase. Enter guy with truck.

A car chase in the US ended in dramatic fashion on Saturday with the intervention of a 'concerned citizen' driving a massive pick-up truck.

Reports said a 14-year-old boy stole his grandfather's car in Syracuse, Utah - about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City - leading police officers on a high-speed car chase through residential neighbourhoods.

At one point the stolen car careered through a grassy area adjacent to a skate park where dozens of children were playing - prompting off-duty cop Bryson Rowley to climb into his truck and intervene.

Watch what happens as Bryson's truck rams the runaway teen head-on, bringing the chase to a dramatic and abrupt conclusion:

“The vehicle was being driven very recklessly",” Sgt. Susan Poulsen of the Davis County Sheriff’s Office told KSL-TV, adding that officers had abandoned the chase for that reason.

“He was all over the place and so we definitely want to make sure the public has the least amount of risk possible when we are dealing with these types of situations.”

Mr Rowley - who was at the park with his kids - got into his truck when he saw the teen turn back towards the crowded park.

"The person driving the truck could see it was turning back into the park, and he did not want the car to hit all of the children, or any of the children, and he actually pulled his truck in the way so the car collided with the truck," Syracuse police officer Erian Behm told Fox 13 News.

The teen was taken to a nearby juvenile detention centre.