New York  - A judge in the Bahamas has declared a mistrial in the John Travolta extortion trial, People magazine reported Thursday.

The decision late Wednesday has left the the actor and his attorneys "mystified and upset" the report said.

A local politician Pleasant Bridgewater, and paramedic Tarino Lightbourn, had been accused of extortion for allegedly threatening to release documents related to the tragic death of Travolta's son Jett in early January.

But Senior Supreme Court Judge Anita Allen declared a mistrial because of juror misconduct following an announcement from a local politician that one of the defendants had been acquitted - before the jurors came back with their verdict. Allen ordered a retrial, but it remains unclear when, if ever, the case will be retried, the report said.

"This came out of the clear blue; this was so weird," Mike Ossi, one of Travolta's Florida lawyers told People. "John was upset. He wants to know more."(dpa)