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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. 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 did not know the area well, 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, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.