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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4m subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in 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 stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

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