Sheldon Stephens, the first of four men to have accused Sesame Street's former Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of sexual abuse, filed a lawsuit late Monday.

In the suit, Stephens alleges Clash used crystal meth and "poppers" before engaging in sexual contact with him when he was 16 years old.

"I was taken advantage of by someone a lot older, and manipulated," Stephens, who's now 24, told a Manhattan news conference on Tuesday.

According to the complaint, Sheldon met Clash, now 52, in 2004 at a social networking event for models and actors, and shortly after they met, Clash told Stephens he would help him advance his career. The complaint alleges Clash began having sexual intercourse with Stephens when he was 16.