The burglar then crashed into the employees car as he made away with stolen power tools, batteries and a generator.

Police said they were called to the Weston Creek Men's Shed on Sulwood Drive, Kambah, about 7pm on Sunday.

They said a person had been assisting an unknown man outside the shed to jump-start his car.

They became suspicious of the man after noticing him handling property from the Men's Shed, the police said.

"The offender then fled in his vehicle, [crashing into] and significantly damaging the [good Samaritan's] vehicle as he left."

Police said an employee from the Men's Shed later called police and said that a number of items had been stolen from the shed including Ryobi tools, batteries and a generator.

The burglar was described as caucasian, about 180cm tall (5'11"), 45-years-old, unshaven with dark coloured hair with a solid build. He was wearing a grey hooded jumper with a white shirt underneath, white shorts and sneakers. He was driving a black Jeep Cherokee with ACT registration beginning in YEP, and which is also likely to have significant front end damage on its right side.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the good Samaritan was an employee of the Men's Shed. ACT Policing have since corrected their information.