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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group due to safety concerns but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the American online personality who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under 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 completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.