A Philadelphia-based journalist involved in a controversial Twitter exchange with pop superstar Justin Timberlake over a speech at Sunday night's BET Awards, is speaking out about the widespread reaction.

Ernest Owens, an editor for Philadelphia Magazine's G Philly, writer for the Huffington Post, and a former NBC10 intern, said he was on Twitter Sunday night following actor Jesse Williams' Humanitarian Award acceptance speech at the 2016 BET Awards. That's when Owens said he saw Timberlake's tweet on the speech.

 "@iJesseWilliams tho... #Inspired #BET2016," the 35-year-old Grammy winner tweeted.

After Timberlake’s tweet Owens responded, “So does this mean you’re going to stop appropriating our music and culture? And apologize to Janet too. #BETAwards.”

Owens was referring to the 2004 Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson in which the singer accidentally flashed Jackson’s breast on stage. Many have argued that Jackson's career never recovered as a result of the scandal while Timberlake's career continued to soar.

Owens told NBC10 he remembers his parents discussing the Janet Jackson incident.

"It was one of the first times in my youth seeing the power of privilege in mainstream entertainment," Owens said. "Had he been a black male and the female Taylor Swift the blame would have been on the black man. Then as I got older and started studying more I began to question what gives this guy the audacity?”

Timberlake responded back to Owens' tweet by saying, "Oh, you sweet soul. The more you realize that we are the same, the more we can have a conversation. Bye.”

Timberlake’s response only created more responses and Owens' words have since gone viral igniting conversation throughout the twitter world.

“There was a moment where I felt like there was an opportunity to speak," Owens said. "I am a conscious content creator so talking about these issues is second nature for me. I don’t think he realized the following I had and he tried to dismiss me with a tweet."

Timberlake eventually apologized, tweeting, “I feel misunderstood. I responded to a specific tweet that wasn't meant to be a general response. I shouldn't have responded anyway...I forget this forum sometimes... I was truly inspired by @iJesseWilliams speech because I really do feel that we are all one... A human race. I apologize to anyone that felt I was out of turn. I have nothing but LOVE FOR YOU AND ALL OF US. - JT."

Owens told NBC10 he was surprised not only that Timberlake responded to him but also by the massive social media reaction the exchange sparked.

“Yesterday was the first time where Justin Timberlake was in the middle of a major controversy because of his remarks," Owens said. "Never in my lifetime would I have thought I would have been a part of one of the biggest controversies with one of the biggest pop stars."

Followers on both Timberlake’s and Owen’s side began to defend each individual.

“His fans were saying very racist things like he has done more for your people than you have," Owens said. "Then my followers started to chime in more and the conversation changed. The dynamic changed and people realized that they had something to say.”

Cultural appropriation was one of the topics Williams touched on during his acceptance speech.

"We’re done watching, and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us," Williams said. "Burying black people out of sight and out of mind, while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil — black gold. Ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them. Gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit."

Owens told NBC10 he believes Timberlake learned a valuable lesson following the controversy.

“I think at the end of the day Justin Timberlake learned something and he stands for an example for so many other artists," Owens said. "I hope my message transcends various platforms, not just the music industry but also Hollywood. I am happy I broke the internet in a more intellectual way. I made Justin Timberlake trend not because of a new music video or song but because his privilege was checked.”

Note: Zach Johnson of E News contributed to this report.

A former employee at a private Montgomery County elementary school is accused of sexually assaulting a student. Marcus Forte, 40, of Warrington, Pennsylvania, is charged with sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful restraint of a minor and other related offenses.

The investigation began back on June 7 after officials determined that Forte, a former IT employee at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy in Spring House, Pennsylvania inappropriately touched a 13-year-old girl who attends the school.

Officials say they searched through the girl’s cellphone and found messages between her and Forte that were sent between December 22, 2015 and January 20, 2016. Forte allegedly told the girl, “Hi! Be my friend because you’re my favorite and I love you!” He also allegedly told the girl to “come visit more often so I can give you more hugs and smooches…and candy of course.” Police say Forte then messaged the girl his number and told her, “Now you can text me if you need me.”

Investigators say Forte texted the girl several times after that. The girl’s therapist also told police she saw some of the text messages between her and Forte, including one alleged exchange on April 4.

“You took the hugs to the extreme today,” the girl texted Forte, according to a criminal complaint.

“Are you upset?” Forte allegedly replied.

Police say the girl then replied, “Yes” and included an emoji after that. Forte then allegedly texted, “I don’t know what that means. So you don’t like my extreme hugging?” The girl then replied, “No,” according to the criminal complaint.

The girl later told investigators that she was home sick from school back on April 4.

“Home sick,” the girl texted Forte, according to the complaint.

“Come to my house and snuggle,” Forte allegedly replied.

Investigators say Forte then picked the girl up from her home that day and the two went to Starbucks. He then drove the girl back to her home, according to the complaint. The girl told police she repeatedly told Forte “bye” but he followed her as she entered her house, investigators said.

Forte then allegedly started touching the girl and tickling her. Forte then forced himself on top of her, groped her and forcibly kissed her, according to officials. The girl told police she then left and went to the kitchen but Forte followed her. He then allegedly groped and forcibly kissed her once again. The girl told police Forte finally left when she told him her mom was on the way.
The girl also told investigators Forte kissed her on six different occasions in his office when he worked as an IT Technician at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy.

Investigators also say the girl spoke with Forte on the phone on June 15 about his alleged assaults.

“I’m not doing it for me [deleting text messages], I’m doing it for you so you don’t get in trouble for touching me,” the girl told Forte, according to the criminal complaint.

Police say the girl told Forte that she wanted an apology. He allegedly responded by saying, “I’m sorry for anything you think may have happened.”

“Ah, no,” the girl said, according to the complaint. “That’s not the apology I want. I want the apology for you touching me in places that I didn’t need to be touched and that I didn’t ask for.”

Forte allegedly replied by saying, “I’m very sorry [for] that if I did that to you.”

The girl then replied, “If you did it? Because I know you did it,” according to investigators.

“I know and I’m apologizing,” Forte allegedly said.

In a second conversation on June 21, the girl tried to get Forte to admit that he kissed her and gave her “extreme hugs,” according to the criminal complaint.

“Well I mean I wouldn’t really put that into the context….that’s…you know what I mean? That’s not really the context of what happened,” Forte allegedly replied.

He then allegedly told the girl she shouldn’t take their hugs out of context because “that’s dangerous.”

When asked what “taken out of context,” meant, Forte allegedly told the girl, “Well I think we know why, you know what I mean? I think you know why. We’re worlds apart in a lot of ways. I think it’s something that we’d be better off talking about in person, not over the phone. You know?”

During an interview with police on June 23, Forte claimed he inadvertently touched the girl’s bare breast at her house during what he described as, “extreme hugging,” according to the criminal complaint. Forte also allegedly admitted the girl was in his office behind a closed door while he worked at Gwynedd Mercy Academy.

Forte was arraigned Monday with bail set at $500,000. He was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 8.

A spokesperson for Gwynedd-Mercy Academy sent NBC10 the following statement on Forte.

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary was saddened to learn about allegations against one of its former staff members, Mark Forte, which resulted in his recent arrest involving alleged contact with one of its students. We were originally informed that the alleged event occurred at a private residence two months after Mr. Forte’s departure from the school. However, we were recently informed that some of the alleged contact also occurred while Mr. Forte was employed at the school. Mr. Forte’s departure was not based on a matter involving any contact or issue with students.

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary wants to assure parents and guardians that the safety and security of their children are its primary concern. The welfare and well-being of the children placed in our trust is paramount. Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Elementary will fully cooperate with the police, and we will continue to keep all concerned in our prayers.

A Philadelphia Police officer was arrested after he allegedly robbed two men in Bristol Township.

Officer Michael Winkler, 36, was arrested and charged with robbery, theft, false imprisonment and other related offenses. Investigators say the 16-year veteran assigned to Philly’s 15th District went to the 700 block of Newportville Road in Bristol Township while on duty and in an unmarked city vehicle back on May 5. Officer Winkler then allegedly got into a “business dispute” with men who were inside a parked vehicle in the area.

Investigators say Winkler had hired the men to work at one of his properties and lured them there that day after promising them more money and pizzas. When they arrived however Winkler allegedly demanded that one of the men give him all of the money in his pockets and then stole $38 from him.

Winkler was arrested by Bristol Township police on Friday. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross suspended him for 30 days with the intent to dismiss. 

South Jersey swimmer Kelsi Worrell is heading to Rio. The 21-year-old won the 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. swimming trials Monday night with the second-fastest time in the world this year at 56.48 seconds.

With the win, Worrell earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the first time in her career.

"I'm just so excited to be here," Worrell said. "It is my first time, and I didn't know what to expect."

Worrell was born in Voorhees Township, New Jersey and grew up in Westampton Township, NJ. She attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly before swimming at the University of Louisville.

Prior to her Olympic trial win, Worrell won the 100- and 200-yard butterfly in the 2015 NCAA Championships. She also won first place in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly in the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and the 100- and 200-yard butterfly in the 2014 AT&T Winter Nationals.

Updated information about the recall can be found here.

Ikea will recall a line of chests and dressers after the deaths of three toddlers in two years, the company confirmed Monday.

The company will offer full refunds or store credit to anyone who ever bought one of its MALM line dressers, and it will also stop selling them, Philly.com reported. The company told NBC News Monday night that it was issuing a recall.

"We are announcing this recall today given the recent tragic death of a third child. It is clear that there are still unsecured products in customers homes, and we believe that taking further action is the right thing to do," Ikea representative Christina Kaiser said in a statement Monday.

The recall will extend to millions of dressers, according to Philly.com, some of which were bought more than 10 years ago. The recall applies to the 27 million products addressed by a 2015 repair program, plus additional units. 

Ikea has confirmed the deaths of three toddlers since 2014 after the furniture maker's Malm dressers tipped over and crushed them — a 2-year-old Pennsylvania boy, a 23-month-old Washington state child and a 22-month-old Minnesota boy. It has also said it received more than a dozen reports of incidents, four of which resulted in injury — and both the furniture maker and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have acknowledged the dressers are dangerous if not properly anchored to a wall.  

Last year, Ikea announced a repair program that offered a free kit to help secure the dressers to the wall. The kit included tip-over restraints, wall anchoring hardware and warning labels to be attached to the furniture. It has distributed 300,000 already, according to a news release.

The recall agreement was expected to be officially announced Tuesday by Ikea and the CPSC, Philly.com reported, citing a source from a federal agency. The CPSC did not comment.

Ikea told NBC News it was no longer selling Malm chests and drawers, and urged families who already own one to anchor them to a wall.

"If they're not, please take them out of a room that children can access because it could be a danger, and make sure that you contact Ikea to (have) a free repair kit sent to your home," Ikea USA president Lars Peterson said.

Growing concerns over tainted water pushed Horsham Township leaders in a direction they boast could make their drinking water some of the safest in the country among communities dealing with PFC contamination.

PFCs or perfluorinated chemicals including PFOA and PFOS were found in the township’s private and public water supplies. The unregulated chemicals are in firefighting foam used for decades at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station and Joint Reserve Base.

Council adopted a measure Monday night they say should reduce the level of those unregulated chemicals in the public water supply to 1 part per trillion by the end of the year. The Environmental Protection Agency’s lifetime exposure advisory level for PFOA and PFOS combined is 70 parts per trillion.

“The bad news is the U.S. government contaminated our water. The good news is the U.S. government contaminated our water and they’re not going anywhere,” said Township Manager Bill Walker addressing residents invited to hear what the township and Horsham’s Water and Sewer Authority (HWSA) were doing to address the wave of frustration and fear.

The vote came after a night of sometimes contentious but mostly civil discussion and comments from residents.

“It just seems like it takes a long time before anything’s really getting done, and that’s why we’re confused,” said Bill Gaida, explaining his family was told in 2014 the water was safe and reassured again last year by the township that everything was fine. “We’ve had four cancers in our family since we came here. . .This is a big concern. I don’t think it’s gonna go away.”

Gaida, 75 and his wife Kay have lived in Horsham for fifty years. She’s survived three cancers and the couple’s son, Chris battled testicular cancer when he was 26. He wasn’t satisfied with the night’s outcome. “It’s kind of odd that 20 people died in the neighborhood of cancer,” he said. Many residents are worried the contamination has or could lead to health problems. PFCs are connected to several cancers, high cholesterol and reproductive issues. Chris wants mandatory blood testing for all residents, mandatory soil testing and monthly water testing. “And for all those tests to be public knowledge,” said Chris, frustrated because he hasn’t been given historical data requested on test results for water contaminants.

“We are strongly cautioning people, if there is blood testing of levels, understand that once you get your number, there’s a gap and people can’t tell you what that number means,” said Township Solicitor Mary Eberle, who said the state won’t pay for the tests and the federal government hasn’t answered Horsham’s request for funding, but that information could come in the next three weeks. “Understand that the results may not have much meaning at this point, but could be a great database going forward.”

Horsham has 15 public wells. Five were taken offline in May when the EPA’s new advisory came out. Walker and HWSA Business Manager Tina O’Rourke presented several remediation options. Each included re-mediating the 5 contaminated wells and bringing them back online with Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filters. Council adopted the most stringent option which calls for re-mediating a 6th well and buying 1.2 million gallons of water a day, but only from North Wales. Right now Horsham gets reimbursed by the Navy for 400K gallons a day from Aqua and another 400K from North Wales. O’Rourke said the Aqua water has PFC levels of 12 ppt. That’s low compared to the new advisory, but still higher than what the township could achieve if they stop using it.

Once implemented, this new filtration system would cost about $1.2 million a year.

Horsham leaders adamantly agree the military caused the contamination and should pay for the cleanup, Walker said.

“So we will be lobbying and pressuring the United States Navy and Air Force and any federal and state agency for funding above and beyond what the Navy is paying for currently,” Walker said, adding they’d also seek other federal and state funding sources and even consider an online petition, if needed, for residents to sign.

So far, the Navy has tested 290 private wells in the township. Seventy-six of those are above the lifetime health advisory level. For those residents, the Navy is supplying bottled water until they can hook them up to the public water supply and shut off their contaminated wells.

The Navy plans to test 100 additional private wells by the end of July and in the next two weeks, a private company hired by the township will conduct a random sampling of in-home testing for residents and businesses. They’re asking for volunteers on the public water supply system who’ll allow an outside company to test water out of their tap. Results get posted on the township’s website.

In an effort to help residents get more of their health-related questions answered, Walker announced a Town Hall panel discussion is planned for August 15. Anyone can attend and talk with toxicology experts, environmental scientists and health experts. Start time is 6:30 p.m. in the Hatboro-Horsham high school auditorium.

Richard Kraft has lived in Horsham for 41 years. He thinks the township needs the power and influence of a firm like Weitz and Luxenberg whose environmental attorneys meet with the community Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Upper Moreland High School’s auditorium.

“We need to become pit bulls. We need to get tough here or we’re gonna get walked on. We’ve already been walked on,” Kraft said. Only one number should matter, he argued. “Zero deaths per thousand.”

A rowhouse in North Philadelphia caved in overnight while a pregnant woman, a child and other people were inside.

It started with a leak through the roof, house manager Kenyatta I. Lusk told reporters, and then about 1 a.m., the roof of the rowhouse partially collapsed, falling into the second floor and causing damage throughout the house. Water poured through the roof and floors into buckets around the house.

Lusk, whose bedroom took the brunt of the collapse, said the house, on Atlantic Street near 24th in the Tioga neighborhood, had been in good shape prior to the leak. He was not home at the time of the collapse.

"Before this happened, everything was up to code, the landlord was on top of everything, not a slumlord," Lusk said. "When I got here, there was water coming down ... and it just fell apart."

Lusk said a woman who is seven months pregnant and a 9-year-old child with Down syndrome were inside at the time, and that three other adults, including himself, also live there.

He said there were not any very serious injuries, but that his sister who was in the house at the time suffered a fall and was waiting to be checked out by medics.

"Very scary," Lusk said.

"I was just grateful I wasn't home, and then my concern was for the rest of the house," he continued.

The Red Cross assisted the displaced people. The Red Paw Relief Team also responded to help with a cat and kittens in the house at the time. Inspectors from the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections responded to the scene to investigate.

A Good Samaritan and a police officer sprung into action when someone tossed a kitten from the window of a moving car on the Walt Whitman Bridge last week.

Jean Finizio was headed to work in New Jersey when she saw a kitten running in the median of the bridge.

"We were inching along the bridge when I saw the kitten, I almost didn't believe what I saw," explains Finizio, who then pulled over to try and get the kitten to jump into her car. She heard the cat crying from outside the car and when she got out to locate the kitten, she found it clinging her back tire.

Delaware River Port Authority Officer Richie Ridolfi coincidentally happened to be crossing the bridge headed toward Philadelphia at the same time a call was made about a kitten being thrown from a car window.

"I'm the biggest animal lover," Ridolfi said. "As soon as I get a call about any animal on the bridge, I'm the first person to get there."

Ridolfi sprung into action and found Finizio in the middle of the bridge. The two were going to do whatever it took to get the kitten to safety.

Finizio explained to Ridolfi that as she pulled over on the bridge to avoid hitting the kitten, the small, frightened animal jumped into her tire well. 

"I laid on the ground, in the middle of the bridge, under the car trying to reach for the cat, but she must have gotten scared and she ended up crawling into the undercarriage," Ridolfi recounted. 

After the unsuccessful rescue, traffic began to build, and the group decided it would be best to move the car to the end of the bridge to retrieve the kitten.

"I had a police escort all the way to the Camden service station but I was so scared of what could happen to the kitten, I could hear it crying from the engine," said Finizio, "It's unnerving, I'm a cat lover and the last thing I wanted was to hurt it."

After reaching a parking lot at the end of the bridge, the group was able to rescue the kitten from the car's undercarriage.

After getting a few cute photos to share the story, Finizio and Ridolfi agreed the little kitten needed to be checked out and find a good home.

"I took her to Philadelphia Animal Hospital to make sure she was not injured or sick, and I took a few photos to post on Facebook to see if anyone was interested in adopting the her," said Ridolfi, who offered to pay for all of the vet fees in return for a good home for the kitten. 

The kitten, appropriately named "Bridgette," is now living comfortably at her new home. 

Police have not tracked down the person responsible for throwing the kitten from the car.

Brawling wedding-goers at a South Jersey hotel found themselves in jail over the weekend after police say they assaulted police officers who tried to break up the fight.

The fight erupted just before 9 p.m. Sunday during a wedding at the Hilton Garden Inn on Atrium Way in Mount Laurel, according to Mount Laurel Police. As an officer responded, the brawl involving several people spilled out of the hotel. The officer tried to break it up, but a man involved in the fight and others punched and kicked the officer. The fighting crowd eventually dispersed when more officers arrived at the hotel.

Police said a family argument that happened during the wedding reception sparked the brawl. Joseph E. Mooney, 34, of Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault of a police officer. Mooney, according to Philly.com, was the groom. A 17-year-old, who is not being identified because he's a juvenile, was also arrested and charged with aggravated assault on police, authorities said. The teen was released pending a court hearing, and Mooney was released after posting 10 percent of $5,000 bail, police said.

The officer suffered a concussion and cuts and scrapes in the incident, police said. He was treated at an area hospital and released.