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New South Wales police 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 famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had issued the American online personality 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 three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi near 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, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.