Yeah, NJ also has the unpleasant policy of taking points off your license for tickets out of state, even if paid on time. NY has the good graces to ignore out-of-state tickets (except DUIs or tickets in Ontario and Quebec, strangely enough).
This is why I got a NY license at earliest convenience instead of keeping my NJ license at my family’s address. The insurance may be $300/yr more expensive, but it’s worth it not having to worry about tickets out of state. Especially since most of my driving is done outside of NY!
And an arrest warrant for an unpaid parking ticket is over the top. In NY, they just tow you if you have $500+ of unpaid tickets on your car. On the plus side, since traffic tickets in NJ are minor criminal offenses, you can actually fight them in township court and occasionally win, rather than dealing with a kangaroo traffic court.
PS – you’re lucky that the f**kin’ pigs didn’t decide to charge you interest over 20 years.