Teenage boy dies after stolen car rolls on major NT highway

Police were called to the scene on the Stuart Highway in the early hours of Tuesday morning. (ABC News: James Elton)

A teenager has died after the allegedly stolen vehicle he was inside rolled on a major Northern Territory highway early today.

NT Police said in a statement officers responded to reports a vehicle had rolled on the Stuart Highway, about 3 kilometres north of Katherine, just before 6am.

Emergency services attended and identified seven teenagers allegedly involved in the crash.

Five of the teenagers found at the site — two girls aged 16 and 17, two 15-year-old boys and a 13-year-old boy — were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Police said another 16-year-old boy was identified as an occupant of the vehicle after going to a local clinic with minor injuries.

Earlier today, police reported the six teenagers found at the crash site included three 14-year-olds, but a spokesperson has since clarified their ages.

NT Police say the crash occurred on the Stuart Highway just north of Katherine. (ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough)

In a press conference this morning, Acting Commander Mark Grieve said a crime scene had been established at the crash site and sections of the Stuart Highway would remain closed while police investigated the "circumstances of the crash".

Police said the crash had "resulted" from "a series of alleged vehicle thefts overnight", which were under investigation.

"Police received a report just before 10:30pm yesterday of an unlawful entry at a property on Zimin Drive, where a vehicle had allegedly been stolen," the statement said.

"It is alleged the occupants subsequently travelled to [the rural] Charles Darwin University [campus], where the stolen vehicle was abandoned before two additional vehicles were allegedly stolen.

Police say one of the stolen vehicles was abandoned at Charles Darwin University's rural campus in Katherine. (ABC News: James Elton)

"Throughout the evening, the vehicles were observed driving erratically through the Katherine CBD.

"The occupants allegedly attempted to provoke police by baiting patrol vehicles and throwing objects at officers, resulting in damage to a police vehicle.

"Due to the dangerous manner of driving, officers did not engage in a pursuit of the vehicle."

Acting Commander Grieve said the police vehicle targeted was parked when the teenagers allegedly threw objects at it, including a hammer.

Police said one of those stolen vehicles was involved in this morning's fatal crash.

The fatal incident follows a series of serious stolen vehicle rollovers involving young people in Ka