The Fringe

March 27, 1996

Web posted at: 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT)

Muppet fan seizes hostage at radio station

WANGANUI, New Zealand (CNN) -- Apparently it's easier being green than it is hearing Kermit the Frog sing. A man demanding to hear the Muppet song "The Rainbow Connection" burst into a radio station in the New Zealand city of Wanganui Friday and took the manager hostage.

According to the New Zealand Press Association, the 21-year-old man, who was not identified, also demanded that he be allowed to talk to listeners on the air of Star FM or he threatened to detonate a bomb.

But before Kermit croaked out his first note, police stormed the station and arrested the man. No one was injured and the bomb was found to be fake.

The man was charged with kidnapping.