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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4m followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.