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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (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 is said to have more than 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

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

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.