The nassau supervisor called me back and saw that the current owner is NY DOT (it was salvaged) and i am the prior owner. SHe said i should send bill of sale (don't have it) so they can transfer the debt. I said that's ridiculous since it is not my job to prove who owns the car. It is on them to prove it is mine. She backed into saying she isn't a lawyer blah blah blah.
Unfortunately, when dealing with the government, it is your job. המוציא מחברו עליו הראי - doesn't apply here. As far as they are concerned, the vehicle is yours according to their database, and the burden of proof is on you to prove them wrong.
Ill try to get to NY DMV tomorrow to see if i can get a title report showing that i last owned it in 2010.
... or at least something in writing to that effect.
Incidentally, I think you should ask for copies of the original tickets, and possibly also look for other technicalities to have them dismiss.
If they remanded this to a collections agency, it means that they probably tried to send you the tickets - to where? An Old address? While you could establish that you moved well before the ticket was issued, they could argue back - yes, and you forgot to move your car registration.
If this was a moving violation, I would suggest you try to prove you were elsewhere on that day, but since it's on a registration violation,the owner is responsible for the car no matter where they are.
Here's another thought - although this would be more likely tied to a moving violation - have you tried reaching out to the local DA and explaining the situation?