Ignoring your question for a second,

chomp;
[download]

should be

chomp($event_line);  # in the loop
[download]

or

chomp(@EVENT_ARRAY);  # outside the loop
[download]

Chomping $_ repeatedly are you are doing is useless since you never use $_.

Back to your question, the only ways to get the output you describe from the code you posted is if:

• if the value of $, contains a newline.
• if the value of $/ isn't a newline.

Would you care to add the following to the end of the code you posted and provide us the output?

{
   use Data::Dumper;
   print(Data::Dumper->new(
      [
         $,,
         $",
         $\,
         $/,
         \@EVENT_ARRAY,
         \@array,
      ], [
         '$,', qw(
         $"
         $\
         $/
         $EVENT_ARRAY
         $array
      )]
   )->Useqq(1)->Dump());
}
[download]

Update: Fixed bad D::D syntax

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