A fast-thinking Australian prevented his car from being stolen by leaping through the vehicle's window as the thief tried to speed away.

CCTV footage released by the Northern Territory Police shows a man walking away from his vehicle at a service station in Malak when a second man approaches the sporty coupe from the opposite direction and enters it.

The unidentified car owner races back to the vehicle and leaps into the car through its window, just as the vehicle starts to drive away and out of the view of the camera.

The suspect is seen moments later running, on foot, away from the scene.

A Northern Territory Police spokesperson told Reuters the owner of the vehicle was not injured and the vehicle undamaged. There is an "intense" search for the offender, who they said remains at large with a long list of prior offences.

In a statement on Facebook police asked the public for information on the whereabouts of 24-year-old Timothy Slater in relation to the theft.