Teen allegedly stole car from fire-evacuated home

A teenager has been arrested after allegedly robbing an evacuated home in the fire-affected Batlow region on the New South Wales South Coast.

Police allege the 19-year-old man broke into a rural property on Old Tumbarumba Road yesterday afternoon.

The residents had followed bushfire warnings and left the home.

The man allegedly searched the house before stealing a Ford Falcon sedan.

Police say officers saw the car "driving erratically" along Old Tumbarumba Road shortly after, but called off a pursuit for safety reasons.

They found the car later after it crashed into a tree.

The 19-year-old man was taken to Wagga Wagga Base Hospital in a stable condition and he remains under police guard.

Officers allege they found jewellery, documentation, and ammunition, all believed to be stolen, after searching the vehicle.