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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders due to safety concerns 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

On Saturday, police stated they had served the American online personality known as the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

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