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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation following a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

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

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We must ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.