A Philadelphia firefighter says he was drunk and making a 'dumb joke' about the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when he posted a picture of himself holding a torch and wearing a Confederate flag hat on Facebook.

John Deluisi, 45, tells WTXF-TV he uploaded the picture, which he captioned 'Headed to VA,' in response to another post referencing the Charlottesville rally, where torch-carrying protesters decried the planned removal of a statue honoring Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. He also tagged a black co-worker in the post.

The post quickly garnered negative attention and Deluisi says he realized that he made a bad decision.

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Philadelphia firefighter John Deluisi, 45,came under fire this week for a post on Facebook making fun of the violence in Charlottesville (post above)

Deluisi said that the post was a bad joke written when he was drunk. He told a Fox 29 reporter that he is sorry and disappointed in himself

'I am very disappointed in myself and I'm very sorry,' Deluisi said.

'You know I was drinking way too much. It was on my back deck and me and we joke back and forth and it was just a stupid dumb joke.

'I am and idiot. I am very sorry. Maybe I get too carried away on Facebook and I put something up there that is stupid. I thought he would get a joke about it. I really did it was very stupid,' he added.

The post was a reference to the neo-Nazi white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville this weekend over the planned removal of Confederate statue (some of those protesters pictured last Friday)

Three people died amid the turmoil Saturday, including a 32-year-old woman who was part of a crowd of counter-protesters struck by a car driven by a man who had been marching with the white supremacists.

The Philadelphia Fire Department says it is investigating Deluisi's post and could take disciplinary action.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney called the post 'deeply disturbing'.

Deluisi removed the picture. He said he's afraid the incident will taint his nearly 20 years as a career fireman.

The black co-worker who was tagged in the post said that it was just a joke between friends and that he was not offended.