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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had served the US social media influencer known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4m subscribers on one platform and over 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.