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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the American online personality known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.