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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police 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 fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It 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 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 greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up 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 turn around, basically, 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 roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.