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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

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

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi near 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 rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We must make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.