Ferry jump boy Jordan Cobb 'had been drinking'
A teenager who died after jumping from a ferry on New Year's Eve may have done it as a result of alcohol-fuelled bravado, a coroner says.
Jordan Cobb, 16, from Plymouth, was with friends when he went into the River Tamar from the Torpoint ferry near the Cornish shore.
The inquest in Plymouth heard claims it might have been over a £100 bet.
Ruling accidental death, coroner Ian Arrow said Jordan made his own decision and he was sure he did not mean to die.
'Shall I jump?'
"We can't be certain why he dived off, whether it was bravado or for some other reason. I am satisfied he certainly didn't expect to die," Mr Arrow said.
Jordan had been drinking with friends in Plymouth before the group decided to head to Torpoint, the hearing was told.
He was filmed on CCTV leaping into the river at about 21:15 GMT.
Witnesses told the coroner the group had moved towards the front of the ferry as it approached Torpoint when Jordan said "something like 'shall I jump off?'", but the comments were not taken seriously.
He then asked a friend to hold his bag, climbed on top of a barrier and dived overboard.
Witnesses saw Jordan go underwater and re-emerge to begin swimming for the shore before losing sight of him.
Daily searches involving the police, coastguard and the Ministry of Defence were carried out after Jordan, who went to the city's Stoke Damerel Community College, vanished.
His body was found on 16 January.
The inquest heard a witness statement from two girls on the Torpoint side of the river, which claimed they heard a male who was part of Jordan's group say: "It was a £100 bet ... it was supposed to be me, but Jordan jumped in."
Torpoint ferries are pulled across the River Tamar on chains and are an important travel link between Plymouth, Devon and Torpoint in Cornwall.