NEW YORK - A New Jersey resident found what was described to her as a "missile launcher" in her Jersey City front yard on Friday, but police said the 20-year-old weapon was no longer a hazard to public safety.
The weapon was found close to Newark Liberty InternationalAirport's flight path.
Indian-born Niranjana Desai, 66, said she found the 90cm-long weapon as she was leaving for work and immediately called police.
"I was shocked," she said. "I was afraid because of what people want to do to this country." She has lived in the United States for about 25 years, she said.
Desai said police told her the weapon at her home, 8 kilometres west of Manhattan, was a "missile launcher."
Jersey City police said in a statement the object was a 20-year-old "military training device" that was "no longer operable and not considered to be a hazard to public safety."
"The device ... has been turned over to United States Army officials at Fort Monmouth," the statement said.
Authorities said they were working with Army officials to track the training device to determine how it came to be in Desai's front yard.
