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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "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 public meeting 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 two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. 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 streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.