Officer's Adopted Son In a 2d Suicide Threat

A teen-age runaway who was coaxed off a ledge in 1981 by a New York City police officer and was later adopted by the officer, yesterday taped a fake bomb to his chest and threatened to blow himself up on a busy Brooklyn street, the police said.

The youth, 18-years old Michael Buchanan, taped a cardboard box that he said contained four sticks of dynamite to his chest and held police at bay in front of 364 Fulton Street for nearly an hour before surrendering, according to Officer Fred Elwick, a police spokesman.

The case of Mr. Buchanan, who had been abandoned by his parents, attracted national attention last year when the youth was adopted by Officer William Fox, who had persuaded him not to jump from a sixstory building. The boy later went to live with his mother in Texas.

Officer Elwick said the police were summoned yesterday to Fulton Street, near Brooklyn's Borough Hall, by a pedestrian who noticed Mr. Buchanan walking along the street with something that looked like a bomb strapped to his chest.

Officer Elwick said Mr. Buchanan told the police he did not want to hurt anybody and asked for the police chaplain, Msgr. John Kowsky. Mr. Buchanan allowed policemen to cut the box from his chest after Monsignor Kowsky arrived, Officer Elwick said.

Mr. Buchanan was taken to Bellevue Hospital for observation and no charges were filed.