Philadelphia filmmaker, 26, struck on bike, killed

At Philly CAM, which runs the city's public-access television station, people take classes or rent equipment and facilities. The person who helped them with their independent films and TV shows was Jay Mohan.

"He was very welcoming and able to communicate technical things to people who didn't have much experience in a way that would make everyone feel comfortable," said Gretjen Clausing, executive director of Philly Community Access Media.

Shortly after midnight Sunday, Mohan, 26, was riding his bike on Girard Avenue near Ridge when he was hit by a 1993 Buick Roadmaster traveling west on Girard, police said.

He suffered multiple fractures and head trauma, and was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital, where he died around 2:45 a.m., police said.

His death, a distraught Clausing said, is "going to be a big hole."

Mohan, who lived on the 1300 block of North 26th Street, was like many in the city who have embraced a two-wheeled lifestyle. But as more people use bikes to get around - with or without helmets, during rush hour or after dark - some invariably are struck by cars.

Last month, a 22-year-old Temple University lacrosse player, Rachel Hall, was critically injured in a hit-and-run accident while she was riding her bike. Last week, an 18-year-old man was arrested in that case. Hall remains hospitalized on life support.

Police said the driver of the Buick that hit Mohan stayed at the scene after the accident and was taken to Hahnemann with neck pain. The driver's identity wasn't released; it wasn't clear whether charges would be filed.

Maori Karmael Holmes, the victim's girlfriend,  said Mohan, whose given name was Vijay, was born in a suburb of Chicago, attended high school in India and studied at Temple University, where he earned a degree in film and media arts.

Recently, he helped his sister, who graduated from a college in Georgia, pack and move back to India, where their mother lives, Holmes said.

Mohan was committed to Philly CAM's mission to make noncommercial, community-based television, though he also was working on his own fictional web series, Clausing and Holmes said.

He had a passion for music and produced a panel discussing hip-hop at the most recent Asian American International Film Festival.

Before going to work at Philly CAM, Mohan worked at the Scribe Video Center, which also works with the independent-film community.

"He was interested in all types of repertory films," Clausing said. "We would talk about all kinds of experimental films. He had a rich and varied taste in films.

"And he had a very funny sense of humor."

Editor's Note: This story was revised to correct some details after Mohan's girlfriend, Maori Karmael Holmes, contacted the reporter. The changes are: 1. He was born in a suburb of Chicago and did not live in India until high school. 2. His sister was in school in Georgia, not Virginia. 3. He was working on a fictional web series, not a documentary. 4. He was not on a hip-hop discussion panel, but had produced it.

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@kathyboccella