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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 individuals riding e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had served the US social media influencer known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.