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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had served the American online personality who goes by the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near 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: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.