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NSW police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the riders due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the American online personality known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.