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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 electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by 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 each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4 million followers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards 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 under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.