Is it illegal to keep a pocket knife in the car?

It depends on a number of factors, including the length, type, style, where in the vehicle it was located, what its intended purpose was ect. It can be considered a deadly weapon, or a tool. It depends on the facts.

Here are a couple of sources discussing this topic: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/837788-New-Jersey-Knife-Law http://toolmonger.com/2011/05/23/pocketknives-illegal-in-new-jersey/ http://knife-expert.com/nj.txt -- link to Code of Criminal Justice... seems pretty vague, though.

Different municipalities i.e. states, cities, etc. have different laws regarding knives. The length, the way it's opened, whether and how the blade locks in place and other factors are addressed by different laws in different places. Knives that open mechanically e.g. gravity knives, switch blades and balistic knives that actually shoot the blade out of the handle are usually illegal. Pocket knives less than 3 1/2 or 4 inches long are usually okay. Search on line for the laws in your area.

As Crocodile Dundee once said, "That's not a knife, {pause}, nowwwwwwwwww THAT'S A KNIFE!

I have had to defend a lot of these cases. It is charged as a weapon.