Numerous people have reported seeing a ghost this week at a pub in the Sydney suburb of The Rocks.

Five influencer friends were having drinks at the Fortune of War hotel when the saw an apparition appear in an upstairs window.

The Rocks has released an official statement on the sighting, speculating that it’s the ghost of an unnamed sailor who was mudered in the early 18th century.

The statement said: “In the heart of The Rocks, above the Fortune of War bar, where the ghost was spotted, was once a sailor’s hostel with a reputation for illicit activities, including a rumored brothel where a sailor met a tragic end at the hands of a prostitute.

“Legend has it that the sailor’s spirit lingers, in the buildings. Stories of ghostly encounters have been passed down through the generations, with reports in the local Sydney gazette of eerie footsteps and mysterious sightings in the dark of night.

“The ghost of the sailor is said to only appear to women, scaring them with his spectral presence  roaming within the old buildings. To this day, guests and staff claim to hear his ghostly footsteps, a chilling reminder of the tragic tale.

“The history of the sailor’s hostel continues to captivate and intrigue those who pass by, a reminder of the past that refuses to be forgotten. And so, the legend of the sailor’s ghost lives on, haunting the streets of The Rocks for all eternity.”

Time Out spoke to Shruti Rawat, a Sydney travel and food blogger from @aussies.upclose, who was there and who posted content about the encounter on her Instagram channel.

“We just got back to Sydney and we were in The Rocks to visit this oldest pub in Sydney,” she said.

“And while we were shooting our content, we came across this, you know, the ghost. We were shooting and then we just saw something, and then everyone was like, what do you think that was!?

“It was like seeing a ghost in your dreams – like you know how you just see something and then it goes away? It came and just vanished in seconds.”

As the story went viral online, on radio, and on TV, reaching millions of people across Australia, additional ghost sightings in The Rocks were reported, causing the hashtag #ghostintherocks to trend on social media.