My question involves a traffic citation from the state of: New Jersey
Here is the situation: A car was crashed by (let's call him Mike). Mike signed the form that the towing company gave him when they came to tow the car. However, Dave is the registered owner. Meanwhile, I have power of attorney to do anything and everything with regard to the crashed car. We do not care about the crashed car. The car has sat in the towing company's lot for quite some time now, and the fees have added up to nearly $1000.
Now, Mike (the guy who crashed the car and signed whatever the towing company gave him when they picked up the car) is heading to bankruptcy court in several months, and has virtually no assets. So, we don't really care if the towing company attempts to collect from Mike. Dave (the registered owner) however has assets and good credit. Is Dave liable for the fees incurred?
Second, according to some stories on the internet (a great source, I know), you only have to pay if you wish to retrieve your car, and otherwise can simply leave it, for the towing company to eventually sell/scrap it. Is this true? Please note that the car was towed after an accident, not impounded, if that makes any difference.
Finally, suppose that I (since I have power of attorney to do anything with regard to the car) transfer ownership of the car to Mike, so that Mike is the registered owner. Would this protect Dave from liability?

