Brother of NJ man who died in Dominican Republic speaks out: He didn't think it would happen to him
The brother of a N.J. man found dead in the Dominican Republic says he doesn't trust the country to be forthcoming about what really happened after nine Americans die under mysterious circumstances.
The brother of a New Jersey man who was found dead last week in his resort hotel room in the Dominican Republic spoke out Wednesday on "Fox & Friends", cautioning Americans to reconsider their vacation plans in the Caribbean nation.
The State Department confirmed Joseph Allen's death to Fox News Tuesday after the 55-year-old was found unresponsive on his hotel room floor last week.
Allen, a native of Avenel in southern New Jersey, had reportedly complained about being hot at a pool and left to take a shower; he went to bed early and was found dead the next day.
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Jason Allen said his brother was not concerned about the recent deaths or the shooting of David Ortiz before he left for the Terra Linda Resort with a group of friends.
Allen said he does not trust the Dominican authorities to provide the answers about how his brother died. He said an autopsy was performed Friday, but no "official report" has been provided to the family.
"We were told the body needed to be embalmed before my brother was transported back to the United States," he said.
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Jason Allen said that Joseph's 23-year-old son was on his way to the Dominican Republic to spend Father's Day with his dad when he learned what happened. He said he does not believe anyone would have targeted his brother and said his brother never drank from the hotel room minibar.
Co-host Steve Doocy asked Allen whether he would advise people to vacation in the country given the unexplained deaths.
"Hold your horses... Something is off there and I think it needs to at the very least be looked into," he responded.
The popular Caribbean vacation destination has been grappling with a rash of deaths of U.S. tourists at various resorts. Families of the tourists said they were generally in good health.
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In nearly all the recent deaths in the Dominican Republic, officials said there were signs of pulmonary edema -- a condition in which the lungs fill with fluid. The tourists ranged in age from 41 to 67.
The Dominican Ministry of Tourism has denounced what it has called an overreaction, characterizing the deaths as coincidental.
Fox News' Frank Miles contributed to this report.
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