PATERSON, NJ—Explaining that his gambling associate was otherwise a perfectly pleasant individual, local man Jim Hameroff, 49, told reporters Tuesday that his bookie could be a real jerk when he didn’t get his money. “I tell you, my bookie gets a real bee in his bonnet anytime I don’t pay him, or I come up short by a couple hundred bucks,” said Hameroff, noting that the bookmaker would be his best friend one minute, when a boxing match was coming up, but a bit of a prick the next, when he didn’t get his cash right away. “Everything can be peachy keen, but then I’m a few weeks late with a payment, and suddenly, he turns into a big, mean grump, dangling me over a balcony railing or threatening to break my ankles. Now, I admit that I can be a little emotional myself sometimes, but it’s usually in response to him screaming while pointing a gun at my head and threatening to kill my family if he doesn’t get paid.” Hameroff added that despite the bookie’s mercurial disposition, he was always full of encouragement when it came to betting on a 16-to-one underdog, for which Hameroff was appreciative, because that kind of support could be hard to find.