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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported 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 group of around 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

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

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities announced they had served the American online personality known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of 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. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame 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, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We must ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.