The man who caught NYPD officers putting Eric Garner in the chokehold that lead to his death was arrested over the weekend on weapons charges.

The amateur videographer has been identified as Ramsey Orta, a 22-year-old Staten Island man. Orta used his phone to record the arrest of Eric Garner, in which the 350-pound father died after being put in a chokehold by NYPD officers. The death has since been ruled a homicide. 

According to reports, Orta was handcuffed just a few blocks from where Garner's death was recorded, and his wife says the arrest by NYPD is no coincidence.

Orta's wife claims police have been following him since the video began to make waves across the nation, and says the charges -- two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, in which police say the man tried to pass a .25-caliber weapon to a teen on the street -- are "trumped up to ruin his life."

The teenager in the case, 17-year-old Alba Lekaj, was also arrested during the incident, which allegedly took place near a hotel known for drug activity.

Orta's wife, Chrissie Ortiz, told reporters that the NYPD has been targeting Orta in the days since the video's release.

"They park across the street, they follow him. I'm speaking [about] the NYPD. It's obvious. Once they rule [Eric Garner's death] a homicide, now you all of a sudden find something on him? Come on, let's be realistic. Even the dumbest criminal would know not to be doing something like that outside. So the whole story doesn't fit at all," she said.

Ortiz continued, "We're gonna have to move to the moon. Do you have a space in the moon? Do you have connections? We need to move to the moon so we can be safe."

An NYPD spokeswoman said both Orta and the teen entered the hotel, and then exited just moments later.

Officers from the Staten Island Narcotics Unit then approached the Orta and Lekaj, and allegedly saw Orta put an object in the teen's waistband, the spokeswoman said.

According to officers, the object turned out to be an unloaded .25 caliber Norton handgun that had been reported stolen in Michigan in 2007, the spokeswoman said.

Officers also found marijuana in Ms. Lekaj's bra during the search, according to reports.

New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch made a statement about the arrest.

"The arrest of Ramsey Orta for criminal possession of a firearm only underscores the dangers that brought police officers to respond to a chronic crime condition in that community. Sadly, in the effort to keep neighborhoods like Tompkinsville safe, a tragedy occurred," said Lynch.

"But that doesn't change the fact that police officers routinely risk their lives for the benefit of the community and that they have earned their support and understanding," he said.