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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. 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 laws and norms of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include 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: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.