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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

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 assembly then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi near 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: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister said. "We must ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.