A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged over the attempted daylight sexual assault of a child in a home in Palmerston, on the outskirts of Darwin.
At about 2:30pm on Wednesday, police allege a home intruder attempted to sexually assault a child aged between six and 10 before they were interrupted by the arrival of other residents.
The man fled naked from the house in the suburb of Driver, according to witnesses, sparking a police hunt.
The 22-year-old has been charged with unlawful entry and attempted sexual assault and will likely face court next week.
Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Day said officers found the man in a phone box in Gray, also in Palmerston, at about 9am today.
Detectives had "flooded" the Palmerston area, he said, describing the incident as "heinous".
It's unknown where the man has been in the almost 48 hours since the incident occurred.
"There's no place for predators like this in the community, and it's a great result to get someone like this off the street," Senior Sergeant Day said.
Senior Sergeant Day said the residents of the house, which police have confirmed is in Widdup Crescent, didn't know the man and that the incident appeared to be opportunistic.
The man has links to the Palmerston area, he said.
Police are still investigating the incident, and today reiterated their call for anyone in the area who might have CCTV footage to come forward.
