A Ridgeville, South Carolina man said he wasn't surprised after he found out he had been fired after his employers saw him in a New York Times photo at the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Ridgeville man, Nigel Krofta, can be seen in a picture standing next to James Alex Fields Jr. who police say drove into a crowd of counter-protesters killing a woman and injuring 19 others.

A Ladson business posted on its Facebook page Monday that Krofta was "no longer an employee of Limehouse & Sons," adding they "do not condone the actions of the people involved in this horrific display that has taken place in Charlottesville."

Limehouse and Sons said a caller alerted them that their employee was pictured at the rally.

"When I saw it, it was definitely him," an official with Limehouse and Sons, who did not wish to be identified, said. "It was a sick feeling to know that we had somebody like that working here alongside the rest of us."

They said they were not aware of his beliefs, but when they found out, they fired him.

Krofta says he wasn't surprised to learn he was fired, but found out about it through social media because he lost his phone at the protests.

Krofta said he did feel he was risking getting fired by attending the rally. He said he doesn't blame the company.

"If they're going to lose business for it, I don't blame them for it," Krofta said."This happens to people all the time. I wasn't really surprised."

Krofta is a self-identified alt-right and white nationalist.

"The defining thing about the alt-right, we want to preserve white identity and white heritage," he said.

Krofta says he just met Fields briefly at the protest and didn't find out about the incident until after it happened.

"To be honest, I don't think he even knew what he was going to do," Krofta said of Fields.

A Limehouse employee says since the photo showing Krofta at the rally, they've been receiving negative feedback.

"You brought a definite uncomfortableness to this company," an official with Limehouse and Sons said.

"What do I say to people who say we stand for hate? I just say broaden your horizons and maybe read some opposing views," Krofta said.

"We're Christians and we don't carry the same beliefs as Nigel does," the company official said.