Chattanooga park ranger says he was fired for dancing on the job

photo Deryl Nelson

A Chattanooga park ranger says he was fired for dancing on the job. He says it's something he's done for years to bring joy to visitors and was nicknamed by some as "the dancing park ranger." But the city says he displayed "unbecoming conduct "and neglected his duties. Now he's jobless and it's got a lot of people talking.

Deryl Nelson worked as a park ranger for the City of Chattanooga at Coolidge Park on the North Shore for more than seven years. He says he's always loved dancing and about a year into the job, drew an unexpected crowd of cheers for jumping in with a large group of visitors doing the "Macarena." From then on, he kept dancing, but a recent complaint lead to him losing his job.

51-year-old Deryl Nelson says the city took his job, but not his moves.

Read more from our news partner at WRCB.

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