Harbour Bridge car surfer accused 'Johnny Danger' set to go to trial

Johnny Kerry Bennett car surfing on a taxi across the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Instagram

A "wannabe stuntman" who goes by the moniker 'Johnny Danger' will go to trial after denying allegations he surfed on top of a taxi as it crossed the Harbour Bridge.

Johnny Kerry Bennett, 26, was charged with creating a criminal nuisance by doing an unlawful act and appeared in court for the first time on Christmas Eve.

According to court documents, the alleged incident, caught on film by someone in the back of the cab, took place between March and May last year but did not make headlines until August.

At North Shore District Court today, a judge-alone trial date was set for May following the defendant's not guilty plea.

Bennett has achieved cult status online with more than 30,000 people following his Facebook page on which he posts photos and videos of his shenanigans.

He describes himself as a "wannabe comedian/stuntman" and has advice for his followers.

"Suck my dangerous nuts, laugh now laugh later, smile, be happy!" he wrote.

The car-surfing video - which went viral on social media and featured on international news sites - shows a man climbing out of the vehicle's passenger-side window and precariously clinging to the Reliable Cabs sign on the roof of the car.

The clip starts by showing two young men in the back seat, while they organise what they are doing with the camera.

Blustery winds can be heard as the man hauls himself out of the window and spends several seconds stretched out over the roof.

At one point he smiles directly at the camera, which appears to be held by someone leaning out of the rear driver-side window.

After he climbs back in, amid screams and yahooing, the camera turns to the taxi driver, who is also smiling.

Waitemata police called it an "idiotic and reckless act".

The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison.