South Yorkshire Police said staff at a business on Weedon Street, Sheffield, called to report the vehicle stolen at 4.15am on Sunday. Officers later spotted the van on Bramall Lane at 6.30am. The vehicle stopped on Queens Road after it crashed into a silver Ford Ka.
The driver, a 13-year-old boy, fled from the scene on foot.
The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was soon found nearby and detained, police said.
The boy has been arrested on suspicion of burglary/theft of a motor vehicle.
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