A 26-year-old man who has been missing in the outback for a week has been found alive near Jay Creek outstation by residents of the Aboriginal homeland, close to where police discovered items of his clothing.

Local resident, Matthew Campbell said his two aunties saw Gach Top walking by the fence line of the Aboriginal homeland when they found him.

“My two aunties were driving down the fence line where the dirt track is, we just got into the gate there and they pulled up and they told us ‘there’s somebody walking there, with underwear and a jumper, and he’s sort of crippled’,” Mr Campbell said.

“So they went to the main road, where they last saw him … then they sang out and said ‘he’s here’. 

A pink ribbon tied to a fallen tree branch in the outback.

Markers have been left so the volunteers can identify the areas that have been searched. (ABC News: Christopher Fitzpatrick)

“My aunty said he’s at the back here, the missing person, so I jumped out of my big brother’s car and jumped in and saw him, [I said], ‘You right brother?’, and I jumped in the back with him.”

Mr Campbell said his aunties and him took Mr Top back to their home and gave him “a lot of water” and blankets to warm him up.

Mr Top’s sister and mother received the good news on Monday evening while driving back from the nearby town of Hermannsburg, where they had gone to look for him.

In a statement, NT police said upon being found Mr Top was taken to hospital for assessment and thanked “members of the public for their assistance” in helping find him.

A Sudanese family gathered at the outback search scene, with the father in the front

Gach Top’s family lead the search for the 26-year-old on Monday, after police suspended theirs. (ABC News: Xavier Martin)

Gach Top disappeared west of Alice Springs last Monday, with police and emergency services searching 500 square kilometres after his vehicle was discovered about 14.5 kilometres from town.

Authorities had suspended their search on Saturday night, handing the matter over to NT Police Southern Crime Division for further investigation.

However, the family and local community members spent the following Monday public holiday continuing to look for him in an area where police had previously found Mr Top’s belongings. 

His father David Kong confirmed on Monday evening that he had just heard from his wife and daughter that his son had been found alive and well.