Technical Abstract: Newcastle disease virus (NDV) causes a serious disease in avian species and is especially important due to the economic damages it causes to the international poultry industry. The virus continues to evolve worldwide and it is important for U.S. veterinarians to be able to recognize and characterize the threat presented by highly virulent viruses present in countries with commercial or geographic links to the U.S. Here we present the presence of a highly virulent NDV strain isolated in the Dominican Republic that possessed a 100% fatality rate in chickens. This strange did not resemble any of the previously identified strains of NDV and possibly represents a new genotype. This new strain was dramatically different from the LaSota vaccine strain and could therefore lead to problems with commercial vaccination programs in the Dominican Republic.