  The combination of a long duration and the absence of any accompanying
supernova clearly shows that GRB 060614 can not be grouped into the two
conventional classes of gamma-ray bursts, i.e. the long/soft bursts deemed to
be collapsars and the short/hard bursts deemed to be merging binary compact
stars. A new progenitor model is required for this anomalous gamma-ray burst.
We propose that GRB 060614 might be produced through the tidal disruption of a
star by an intermediate mass black hole. In this scenario, the long duration
and the lack of any associated supernova are naturally expected. The
theoretical energy output is also consistent with observations. The observed
9-s periodicity in the $\gamma$-ray light curve of GRB 060614 can also be
satisfactorily explained.
