A young man has been arrested in Darwin after his naked dancing, singing and rock throwing caused 13 vehicles, including a police car, to crash.

The 20-year-old was arrested early on Sunday morning after a number of traffic incidents on Wednesday and Thursday in the Hidden Valley area outside of the Darwin CBD.

Reports first surfaced on Wednesday night of a naked blond man throwing rocks at cars on Tiger Brennan Drive, one of Darwin’s major arteries.

During peak-hour traffic on Thursday morning, a two-car crash was followed by an accident involving six vehicles, which police said was due to motorists trying to get a glimpse of their dog squad’s search operation for the man, who was not found at the time, the ABC reported.

A police car on its way to help with the six-car smash hit another car, and then three cars bumped into one another on the Stuart Highway, where traffic had been diverted.

He was arrested on Sunday morning after a resident called police to report he had trespassed on property.

“He was found asleep in someone’s yard,” Duty Superintendent Louise Jorgensen told AAP. She said it was still a mystery how long the man had been in the Northern Territory or what he had been doing.

He was taken into custody for a mental health assessment because police were concerned about his mental and physical state.

“Apparently he did have a pair of shorts on, we don’t know where he got them,” Supt Jorgensen said.