Reprinted from Le Floridien, August 22, 2026
Former North Miami Police Chief Marc Elias Jr. Dies in Haiti
By Le Floridien Staff
NORTH MIAMI, Fla. — Marc Elias Jr., the former North Miami police chief who made history as the first Haitian-American to lead the police department of the heavily Haitian-populated South Florida city, has died in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Le Floridien has confirmed through a member of his family.
Elias reportedly became seriously ill late Thursday night in Port-au-Prince and was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Preliminary information indicates that he may have suffered from food poisoning. The precise medical cause of death, however, has not yet been officially established.
At the time of his death, Elias was in Haiti assisting a family member, Saliba, owner of a Toyota dealership in Port-au-Prince, with security matters. Drawing on his decades of experience in law enforcement, the former police chief was helping assess and strengthen the dealership’s security system and overall security environment. His assistance came amid growing security concerns in the Haitian capital, where the dealership and other businesses have faced repeated attacks and threats from armed gangs.
A Trailblazer in South Florida Law Enforcement
Elias was a significant figure in South Florida law enforcement and one of the Haitian-American community’s early trailblazers in policing.
Born in Haiti, Elias attended Collège Roger Anglade in Port-au-Prince before continuing his education in the United States. He was also a graduate of Columbia Southern University in Alabama, according to a biography previously published by the North Miami Police Department.
Before taking command of the North Miami Police Department, Elias served as police chief of Florida City. His appointment there in 1999 made him one of the pioneering Haitian-American law-enforcement executives in Miami-Dade County.
Elias joined the North Miami Police Department as assistant chief in 2010 and was elevated to chief the following year. His appointment was particularly significant in North Miami, home to one of South Florida’s largest Haitian-American communities. He became the first Haitian-American to lead the North Miami Police Department, marking an important milestone for Haitian representation in local law enforcement.
A Tenure That Ended Amid Controversy
Elias’s tenure as North Miami police chief, however, was not without controversy.
In February 2014, Elias resigned after he and then-City Manager Stephen Johnson agreed to what the city described as an “amicable conclusion” to his service with the North Miami Police Department. At the time, city officials did not publicly provide a specific reason for his resignation.
His departure came amid scrutiny over expenses associated with several official trips he made to Haiti. The Miami Herald reported at the time that Elias had charged the City of North Miami thousands of dollars for seven trips to Haiti dating back to April 2012.
According to reporting at the time, Johnson said that only one of those trips lacked the necessary documentation to qualify for reimbursement by the city. Therefore, while the travel expenses generated criticism and preceded Elias’s resignation, the city did not publicly establish that the controversy was the reason he stepped down.
Around the same period, Elias also experienced a health scare. He reportedly suffered chest pains while at work and was hospitalized in stable condition shortly before his resignation was announced.
Following his departure, city officials began the process of selecting interim leadership while searching for a permanent replacement.
A Legacy of Haitian-American Leadership
Despite the controversy surrounding the final chapter of his tenure, Elias’s historic role in North Miami remains significant.
His rise helped demonstrate that Haitian-American law-enforcement officers could reach the highest levels of leadership in South Florida departments serving communities with substantial Haitian populations.
In 2016, Gary Eugene became the second Haitian-American to serve as North Miami police chief. Today, the department is led by Chief Cherise Gause, who became the third Haitian-American and the first Haitian-American woman to lead the North Miami Police Department when she was sworn in as chief in 2023.
That progression—from Elias to Eugene and now Gause—places Elias at the beginning of an important chapter in the history of Haitian-American representation in North Miami law enforcement.
His sudden death in Haiti brings renewed attention to a career that included historic achievements, public service, controversy and a lasting place in South Florida’s Haitian-American history.
Le Floridien extends its condolences to the family, friends and former colleagues of Marc Elias Jr. Additional information regarding the circumstances of his death and funeral arrangements will be published as it becomes available.
Stephanie, while Elias may be notable for being the first Haitian American police chief, its only because the Haitian American residents of North Miami elected majority Haitian Americans to the City Commission. Most Haitian American elected officials don’t believe in diversity. It starts with the City managers they have chosen for decades, who in turn, mostly choose Haitian American department heads, including police chiefs. Its not remarkable that since the first chief was appointed, that every chief going forward will also be Haitian American in North Miami. The current city manager, city clerk, HR director, and other department heads, along with a majority of North Miami staff are also Haitian American. It’s time bloggers, journalists, Commissioners, and others stop pointing out the color of those in prominent positions. To me, it demeans those that have these positions and have people feel they only have them because they are black. While this may be true in many cases, its time that we stop congratulating people because of the position they hold and because they are black. If we do that, maybe in the future it won’t be standard practice anymore. Hopefully in the future, some appointees will get the position because they are the best one FOR the position. As for Elias, there is NO REASON for any City employee to travel to Haiti seven times at taxpayers expense. Him doing so degraded his legacy as the first black chief.
I was shocked and extremely saddened when I heard about his passing. I personally knew Chief Elias, and I can tell you that treated all his officers equally regardless of race or ethnicity. In fact, his closest advisers were mostly Hispanic and white employees. He also promoted officers based on merit, and not on skin color. Unfortunately, some of the Haitian officers were not happy about that since they believed they should get preferential treatment.
That being said, I do not disagree with you that there is a lot of ethnic-preference hiring in North Miami, especially since as of 2025 38.25% of the residents are Haitian-Americans. However, Larry Juriga (the whitest person on the planet LOL) was police chief in North Miami from 2017 until he retired in 2023. He was also one of the most corrupt chiefs the city ever had. Juriga would have stayed on forever if he had his druthers. His retirement payout was based on his previous five years’ salary, one of which included an outrageous payout that he received for suing the city, and if he waited even one more day to retire, that pay bump would not have been included in his final retirement benefit package. Lots of people in the department couldn’t wait for him to leave.
But, I digress.
As for Marc Elias traveling to Haiti, keep in mind that during his tenure the mayor was Lucie Tondreau, and no one at the city dared to cross her. Elias accompanied her to Haiti at her insistence, and he had no choice if he wanted to keep his job. Yes, the city has a manager, but some of the mayors act as if they alone run the show. What Lucie wanted, Lucie got. Karma eventually got the best of her, but Marc Elias was collateral damage.