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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4m followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.