The US Open 2025 was shaken up by an off-court scandal after a clip of a man snatching a signed hat out of the hands of a child went viral. The internet has worked its magic and identified the culprit as Polish millionaire and CEO Piotr Szczerek.

On Thursday, Polish tennis star Kamil Majchrzak greeted fans and signed autographs at the US Open after he beat the No. 9 seed Karen Khachanov. Kamil took off his hat to hand it to a young fan in the stands. But in that very moment, an adult man standing next to the child grabbed the hat and stuffed it into a nearby woman’s bag. While the child cried and reached for the hat back, the man ignored him.

Several sources have confirmed the identity of the man who snatched the hat as millionaire Polish businessman Piotr Szczerek, the CEO of paving company Drogbruk. Szczerek turned off comments on his social media accounts after experiencing heavy backlash.

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Piotr Szczerek dubbed ‘new Coldplay kisscam CEO’

Piotr Szczerek has been dubbed the new Coldplay kisscam CEO online- as furious keyboard warriors slate the "jerk" millionaire. The cap-pincher left a young boy near tears after snatching Kamil Majchrzak's hat from him - before online sleuths revealed the thief's identity.

He faced a massive barrage of criticism online with many dubbing him the "new Coldplay kisscam CEO", reports The US Sun. Social media users compared him to unfaithful Astronomer boss Andy Byron who was caught red-handed with a colleague at a Coldplay concert in July.

Comparing Thursday's ordeal to the Coldplay fiasco which set the internet ablaze last month, one user said on X: "Which one’s worse, Coldplay CEO or Tennis CEO Piotr Szczerek?" To which one internet user replied: "Of course its Szczerek."


Another furious user hit back: "Is that even a question? What Szczerek revealed of his personality is way worse than the wrongdoing of the Coldplay CEO... "We don't know how his relationship with his wife was and we didn't see how miserable he could be."

ALSO READ: Why is Polish millionaire and CEO Piotr Szczerek facing backlash? US Open controversy in 10 points

Another fuming X user blasted: "This is going to be worse than going to a Coldplay concert and cheating on your partner, who steals a cap off a child at the tennis?" And another weighed in, claiming that Szczerek belonged in the sixth level of Dante's Inferno.

They said: "Both are bad but I would rank the Coldplay CEO as in Dante’s fifth level of Hell with Piotr Szczerek in sixth level. "Piotr stole from a child. A person who steals is perfectly capable of also cheating since they care solely about their own needs."

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Why is Piotr Szczerek facing criticism?

Piotr Szczerek is the CEO of paving firm Drogbruk. At the US Open, the Polish millionaire CEO was filmed snatching the signed cap from the boy and tucking it into his wife's bag.

He has now reportedly expressed regret following the viral backlash and is now seeking to make things right, reports Marca. Piotr Szczerek, who initially deactivated his social media accounts, has attempted to contact the boy's family - reportedly in an effort to apologize and mend fences. Although he hasn't spoken publicly, sources indicate a genuine desire to make amends privately amidst the ongoing backlash to both his actions and the reputation of Drogbruk.