The man, who hails from KwaThema, is believed to have tricked his neighbour by pretending he needed help and asking her to come to his house.
EMPD spokesman Chief Supt Wilfred Kgasago says when the woman arrived at the man’s house, she left her car’s engine running.
The man then jumped into the vehicle and drove off.
About 10km away from where he residest, the man drove the vehicle into the steel barriers on Main Reef Road in Dersley.
After the crash, the man was seen leaving the accident scene and climbing into a nearby tree.
Concerned members of the public, including a Dersley CPF member, tried to persuade the man to climb down, but he refused.
The EMPD summoned the Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Services.
After several hours, the man eventually came down from the tree and was taken to the Far East Rand Hospital to receive medical attention
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