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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation following a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated 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 instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4 million followers on one platform and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi under 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 completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

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

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.