NEW YORK, July 20 (Reuters) - 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 International Airport's flight path.
Indian-born Niranjana Desai, 66, said she found the 3 foot (90 cm) 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, 5 miles (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.
Map showing location of Jersey City.
Police in Jersey City, New Jersey in the United States say that they have found a 20 year old rocket launcher tube, capable of shooting down planes, on the front yard of a home that is reported to be directly in the path of Newark Liberty International Airport. Police say that the weapon was not in operating condition.
Firing an AT-4 produces a large back blast, a significant problem when operating the weapon in urban environments.
"I was shocked. I read it and it and there was the word missile on it. There was little 'missile' writing on it. I was afraid because of what people want to do to this country," said Niranjana Besai who was born in India and has lived in the U.S. for 25 years who discovered the weapon at about 8:00 a.m EDT (UTC-4) when she was leaving the house to go to work.

According to ''Modern Firearms'', the weapon can only be used once, saying it "is a disposable, single shot, recoilless weapon" and can hit a target with a range of "up to 150 meters to use against moving targets, and about 300 meters against stationary targets."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirms that the weapon is of military issue and has been identified as a model AT-4, primarily used as an anti-tank weapon. It is manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics in Sweden. No explosive devices have been located at the scene. The ''Associated Press'' says that the weapon was made to be used during training missions and anti-tank artillery. The U.S. Army at Fort Monmouth in Oceanport, New Jersey is now in possession of the weapon.

"The device has been turned over to United States Army officials at Fort Monmouth," said Jersey City police in a statement to the press which also confirmed the weapon was a U.S. military issued launcher and was "no longer operable and not considered to be a hazard to public safety."

It is not known how the weapon ended up in Besai's yard. The Joint Terrorism Task Force and FBI have confiscated the weapon, before turning it over to the army, and they are investigating the incident.