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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

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

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had served the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper 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 ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether 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. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes 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 truly severe," the minister stated. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.