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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

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 subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard 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," the minister said. "We must make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.