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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

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

Police said they did not chase right away the riders due to safety concerns but rather found the group 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 served the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4m subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault 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, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.