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NSW police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4m followers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs 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 the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.