🔗 Share this article

NSW authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities announced they had issued the American online personality who goes by the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

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

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.