🔗 Share this article

NSW police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes 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 a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, 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 ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame 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 entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must 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 dispose of them."

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