🔗 Share this article

New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

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

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs 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 Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, 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 ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.